The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted the federal authorities over the approval of a $9 million lobbying contract in the USA.
The federal authorities had employed a US lobbying agency to assist undertaking its actions on the safety of Christians in Nigeria to American authorities.
The doc confirmed that Aster Authorized, a legislation agency based mostly in Kaduna State, retained the companies of DCI Group on behalf of Nuhu Ribadu, nationwide safety adviser (NSA).
In an announcement issued on Wednesday, Bolaji Abdullahi, nationwide publicity secretary of the ADC, mentioned the expenditure was “scandalous” and proof of “misplaced priorities”.
“The African Democratic Congress condemns the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration for deploying scarce public assets to launder its battered picture overseas as an alternative of addressing the deepening safety and {economic} crises at dwelling, as reported in latest disclosures on the federal authorities’s $9 million lobbying contract in the USA,” the assertion reads.
“No authorities in Africa has ever dedicated such an obscene sum to a short-term public relations train.
“Whereas the ADC recognises the significance of representing Nigeria’s pursuits internationally, spending $9 million on picture administration at a time when thousands and thousands of Nigerians can not afford meals, gasoline, or primary healthcare is a transparent case of misplaced priorities and ethical blindness.”
The opposition occasion argued that the choice signalled a broader failure within the administration’s diplomatic method.
“A authorities that has left key ambassadorial positions vacant now seeks to outsource diplomacy to lobbyists, additional weakening Nigeria’s institutional credibility and decreasing international coverage to transactional propaganda,” the assertion added.
The ADC additionally warned that presenting the lobbying effort as a marketing campaign centred on Christian safety might inflame non secular divisions.
“This dangers deepening sectarian tensions and politicising safety in a rustic already strained by non secular and ethnic fault strains,” the occasion mentioned.
“Safety failures have an effect on all Nigerians, no matter religion, and can’t be addressed by selective messaging overseas as an alternative of justice, accountability, and efficient governance at dwelling.”
The occasion urged the federal authorities to redirect public funds in the direction of safeguarding residents and rebuilding confidence in governance.
“Assets must be spent defending lives, restoring belief in state establishments, and rebuilding a rustic in misery, not sprucing the picture of a authorities that has failed its most simple duty: the safety of lives and property,” the assertion concluded.