*Trump-linked lobbying firm cashes out
By Ajibola Amzat
Nigeria’s failure to appoint ambassadors for more than a year has left the country increasingly dependent on expensive foreign lobbyists to defend its interests abroad, culminating in a contract worth up to $9m (estimated N13 billion) with a United States firm closely linked to President Donald Trump.
Documents filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and seen by The Guardian show that the Nigerian government has retained DCI Group, a Washington-based lobbying and public relations firm, to counter growing pressure from the US over allegations of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria.
Foreign policy analysts say the engagement highlights the cost of a prolonged diplomatic vacuum created after President Bola Tinubu recalled all Nigerian ambassadors in September 2023, without replacing them in early 2026.
The recall, announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, left Nigeria without substantive diplomatic representation in key capitals, including Washington, at a time of heightened international scrutiny.
In April 2024, President Tinubu appointed 14 consuls-general for 14 countries but did not appoint functional ambassadors.
Ambassador Ogbole Amedu-Ode, a former spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, recently stated in a media report that in the strict hierarchical order of diplomacy, seniority in rank or position is crucial, and this is where Nigeria may be missing out.
“Diplomacy is not something you outsource permanently,” a former Nigerian ambassador to the US told The Guardian. “When you have no ambassadors, no political counsellors with authority, lobbying firms fill the gap, and they charge a premium.”
The FARA filing shows that DCI Group was hired through Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, acting on behalf of Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser. The contract, dated 17 December 2025, authorizes the firm to “assist the Nigerian government… in communicating its actions to protect Nigeria’s Christian communities and in maintaining US support for counter-terrorism efforts against West African jihadist groups and other destabilizing elements.”
Under the agreement, Nigeria is to pay $750,000 monthly, amounting to $4.5m for an initial six-month term, with an automatic renewal that could bring the total value to $9m. Payment records attached to the filing show that $4.5m was paid on 12 December as an upfront retainer.
The contract allows either party to terminate the deal with 60 days’ written notice, without penalty.
Trump-linked firm
DCI Group’s political connections are well documented. Jim Murphy, a former president of the firm, served as national political director of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and managed floor operations at three Republican National Conventions, according to reports by The New York Times.
Another senior executive, Justin Peterson, the firm’s managing partner and a signatory to the Nigeria contract, was appointed by Trump in 2020 as the US president’s representative to the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, a position he held until 2023. The biography on DCI Group’s website validates his previous roles as a congressional aide and Republican campaign operative.
Analysts say these links are central to the firm’s value proposition at a time when Nigeria faces an openly hostile White House.
The lobbying effort comes amid escalating US criticism of Nigeria over violence affecting Christian communities.
In October, President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing allegations by US lawmakers and advocacy groups of systematic persecution of Christians.
Nigeria has repeatedly rejected the claim of a Christian genocide, arguing that insecurity in the country affects all communities and is driven by jihadist insurgency, banditry, and communal conflicts.
However, without an ambassador in Washington to engage lawmakers, the State Department, and the White House directly, Nigeria has decided to rely on external intermediaries, which come at a high cost.
