A Washington-based lobbying and advisory firm working for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that the proposed US-Nigeria mining deal is linked to President Bola Tinubu’s reported efforts to secure a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
This was disclosed by the firm Von Batten-Montague-York on Thursday, alleging it is one of the other proposals that Tinubu offered the US in exchange for a meeting with President Trump.
The firm in a statement said, “The signing of the U.S -Nigeria mining MOU is the first step of cooperation between the United States and Nigeria that serves America’s interests in having access to critical metals and minerals while improving the Nigerian mining industry.
“This MOU was first announced by the Nigerian government last week and was meant to be signed at the UN with President Bola Tinubu @OfficialABAT. It was one of the proposals that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu had allegedly offered in exchange for a meeting with President @realDonaldTrump.
“We immediately reached out to the #Trump Administration, which resulted in the article being immediately taken down, the signing at the UN being canceled, and President Tinubu staying in France. President Trump instead signed other agreements at the UN. The United States got the mines; President Tinubu got no meeting.”