The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has faulted the Federal Government’s reported decision to spend $9 million on a lobbying firm to communicate its efforts at protecting Christians in Nigeria to the United States government, describing the move as wasteful, hypocritical, and deceptive.
HURIWA said the development exposes deep contradictions in the government’s public posture, noting that the same authorities had previously denied claims that Christians were being systematically targeted by terrorist groups, only to now approve a costly international lobbying effort centred on Christian protection.
In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko on Wednesday, the civil rights group argued that the decision amounted to a smokescreen and misuse of public funds, adding that the money could have been better deployed to strengthen security operations and support troops battling terrorism across northern Nigeria.
According to HURIWA, media reports indicate that the lobbying contract, filed with the United States Department of Justice, shows that Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, engaged the services of DCI Group, an American lobbying firm, on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The agreement, reportedly signed on December 17, 2025, by Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, Managing Partner of Aster Legal, and Justin Peterson, Managing Member of DCI Group, is expected to run for six months until June 30, 2026, with an automatic renewal clause.
Under the contract, DCI Group is mandated to assist the Nigerian government in “communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities” and to help sustain U.S. support in countering jihadist groups and other destabilising elements in West Africa.
HURIWA described the arrangement as illogical, stressing that insecurity in Nigeria is already extensively documented by international media outlets such as BBC, CNN, Sky News, and Al Jazeera, all of which maintain local correspondents in the country.
The group further argued that the United States government maintains a strong diplomatic presence in Nigeria, including ambassadors, diplomatic staff, and intelligence channels, while also recalling that a U.S. Congressional delegation recently spent weeks visiting conflict-affected areas, engaging directly with victims and security officials.
“It is therefore misleading and unnecessary to spend such a huge sum of public money to explain to the U.S. government what is already well known,” HURIWA said.
The organisation also questioned why the government would embark on an expensive lobbying campaign when Nigeria has recently appointed and confirmed over 60 ambassadors, some of whom are expected to be deployed to the United States.
“Representation of Nigeria’s interests abroad is the core responsibility of ambassadors. Hiring foreign lobbyists for this purpose amounts to duplication, waste, and a failure of governance,” the group stated.
HURIWA concluded that the contract undermines the government’s credibility, arguing that it tacitly admits what officials had long denied—that Christians and other vulnerable communities have been targets of coordinated terror attacks.
“This contradiction reinforces the perception that the government has been dishonest about the scale and nature of insecurity in the country,” the statement added.