President Bola Tinubu’s administration has paid $9 million to a US Republican lobbying form, particularly to appease President Donald Trump and shelve any plans to invade Nigeria and humiliate his government ahead of his re-election bid next year.
The Africa Report on Tuesday published an article disclosing how National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu used a Kaduna-based law firm, Aster Legal, to hire DCI Group to plead Nigeria’s cause in Washington and convince the U.S. leader that Nigeria is seriously working to eliminate terrorists killing Christians in its northern region.
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To show commitment, Mr Tinubu’s administration already paid DCI Group the first tranche of $4.5 million on December 12, 2025, as a retainer fee to engage its lobbying services for the next six months. By July 2026, the second tranche will be paid in one of the highest lobbying transactions for an African nation.
DCI Group’s task is to “assist the Nigerian government… in communicating its actions to protect Nigeria’s Christian communities and maintaining U.S. support in countering West African jihadist groups and other destabilising elements”, the report cited filings at the U.S. Department of Justice.
The $9 million contract, valued at $750,000 per month, carried the signatures of Aster Legal managing director Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim and DCI Group managing partner Justin Peterson, a key Trump ally who served on Puerto Rico’s management board during his first term.
The money was paid weeks after Mr Trump redesignated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ due to what he described as unchecked killings of Christians.
Four days after the transaction was sealed, the U.S. leader imposed a partial travel ban on Nigerians seeking to enter the U.S., blocking tourist, business and student visa applicants, citing visa overstays and the absence of a reliable security framework to vet applicants.
On December 25, 2025, Mr Trump announced that the U.S. had carried out a military strike in northern Nigeria, Sokoto State specifically, targeting insurgents. Mr Trump has since vowed to conduct more airstrikes if the killings of Christians continue.
However, Nigeria is not relying on DCI Group alone to gain Mr Trump’s goodwill, as U.S. attorney and ex-congressional foreign policy official Johanna Blanc also declared a $5,000 payment to write a letter to Chris Smith, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Africa, before a scheduled hearing on the insecurity crisis assailing Nigeria.
The Justice Department filings identified Ms Blanc as working under Nigeria’s finance ministry, but she said she drafted the letter on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
“Nigeria would be honoured to host you in Abuja at a mutually convenient date, to continue these discussions and engage stakeholders from across the government, civil society organisations and religious communities,” Mr Akpabio wrote in a letter inviting the House foreign affairs sub-committee on Africa. “Such a visit would further strengthen diplomatic cooperation and provide firsthand insight into ongoing security and interfaith initiatives.”
Reacting to the multimillion-dollar contract, Chidi Blyden, a former Pentagon official under Joe Biden’s administration, said the seven-figure deal signalled Mr Tinubu’s desperation to smooth diplomatic relations with Mr Trump as a matter of urgency.
“Given the ongoing strikes in northern Nigeria to root out terrorist havens, having open lines of communication across multiple sectors between the two governments is key,” said Mr Blyden, who was also involved in the deal. “It’s a sign that President Bola Tinubu’s administration wants a relationship with the Trump administration, and it is taking steps to do this through the private sector.”
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