February 7, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
United States lawmakers have sharply criticised a $9 million lobbying contract reportedly signed by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government of Nigeria, calling the expenditure “deeply concerning” and warning it appears designed to undermine scrutiny of human rights and religious-freedom abuses in Nigeria, Sahara Reporters and other international news sources report.
The criticisms emerged on Wednesday during a joint congressional hearing conducted by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, hearing testimony under the theme, “Defending Religious Freedom Around the World.”
At the session, lawmakers, including Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, expressed alarm over the Nigerian government’s engagement of a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm, DCI Group, under a contract valued at approximately $9 million — roughly $750,000 per month. Smith argued that using taxpayer funds to influence U.S. policymakers and shift perceptions about Nigeria’s record on religious violence and security challenges could send the wrong message about accountability and transparency.
Former U.S. officials and experts at the hearing described the contract as controversial, questioning both its timing and intention. Critics said the deal appears focused on downplaying allegations of religious persecution against Christian communities and dampening momentum on U.S. measures that had previously signalled concern over Nigeria’s internal security dynamics.
While Smith defended previous U.S. determinations that Nigeria deserved special scrutiny under the International Religious Freedom Act, ranking members of the committee also emphasised that religious and communal violence affects Nigerians broadly and warned that narrow framing in Washington could exacerbate tensions rather than address root causes.
Separately, political voices within Nigeria, including opposition parties and civil society groups, have also protested the lobbying contract domestically, arguing that the $9 million spent abroad might have been better allocated to address deepening insecurity and economic hardship at home.
As debate continues both within the U.S. Congress and among Nigerian stakeholders, the controversy highlights ongoing friction over how best to represent Nigeria’s security realities, human-rights record, and foreign policy priorities on the international stage.