In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) lambasted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for approving a $9 million contract for lobbying services in the United States, characterizing the expenditure as an ill-timed attempt to rehabilitate Nigeria’s international image while domestic crises intensify.

The opposition party, through its National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the multi-million dollar lobbying contract as “obscene” given Nigeria’s current socioeconomic challenges, including widespread insecurity, high inflation, and increasing poverty rates that have left millions struggling to afford essentials.

“No government in Africa has ever committed such an obscene sum to a short-term public relations exercise,” Abdullahi stated. “While the ADC recognises the importance of representing Nigeria’s interests internationally, spending $9 million on image management at a time when millions of Nigerians cannot afford food, fuel, or basic healthcare is a clear case of misplaced priorities and moral blindness.”

The criticism comes amid escalating security challenges across multiple regions of Nigeria. The country continues to battle insurgency in the Northeast, banditry in the Northwest, and separatist agitations in the Southeast, while economic indicators remain troubling for Africa’s most populous nation.

According to the ADC, the lobbying contract signals a failure in Nigeria’s diplomatic approach. The party pointed to numerous vacant ambassadorial positions, suggesting that the government is effectively outsourcing critical diplomatic functions to paid lobbyists rather than strengthening established institutional channels.

“This decision is also an admission of diplomatic failure,” the statement continued. “A government that has left key ambassadorial positions vacant now seeks to outsource diplomacy to lobbyists, further weakening Nigeria’s institutional credibility and reducing foreign policy to transactional propaganda.”

The ADC raised particular concern about reports suggesting the lobbying effort would partly focus on “communicating Christian protection efforts,” arguing this approach risks inflaming religious tensions in Nigeria’s already fragile multi-religious environment.

“This risks deepening sectarian tensions and politicising security in a country already strained by religious and ethnic fault lines,” the party warned. “Security failures affect all Nigerians, regardless of faith, and cannot be addressed through selective messaging abroad instead of justice, accountability, and effective governance at home.”

The controversy emerges during a period of economic hardship for many Nigerians, who are contending with inflation rates that reached 33.9 percent in May 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, following economic reforms including fuel subsidy removal and currency devaluation implemented by the Tinubu administration.

Political analysts note that international lobbying by governments is not uncommon, but the timing and scale of Nigeria’s contract have attracted unusual scrutiny. Foreign lobbying records indicate several African nations maintain lobbying arrangements in Washington, though typically at lower costs and focused on specific policy objectives.

The Tinubu administration, which came to power in May 2023, has previously defended its foreign policy initiatives as necessary to improve Nigeria’s global standing and attract foreign investment. However, the ADC contends that effective governance should precede image management.

“No amount of image laundering can wash away the blood of thousands of Nigerians killed under this administration’s watch,” the ADC statement asserted. “Lobbying to impress foreign leaders cannot substitute for a coherent strategy to end the bloodbath.”

The administration has not yet issued a formal response to the ADC’s criticism of the lobbying contract. The controversy adds to growing pressure on President Tinubu to demonstrate tangible progress on his campaign promises of improved security and economic prosperity.