United States Senator Ted Cruz has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of hiring public relations lobbyists to cover up the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Cruz said he was disappointed that Nigeria engaged a lobbying firm to sell its Christian protection record to the US government, describing it as a deliberate attempt to deflect American concerns over the country’s worsening security crisis.
His comments came as former APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank, accused the Presidency of misleading Nigerians by presenting a reported letter from US President Donald Trump as an endorsement of Tinubu’s government.
The $9m Lobbying Deal
Nigeria hired DCI Group, a US-based lobbying and public affairs firm, in a $9 million contract last December — months after Trump’s administration designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern.”
Contract documents filed with the US Department of Justice show that Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, engaged DCI Group on behalf of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Since then, US lawmakers have pushed several measures, including bills designed to pressure Abuja into tackling the insecurity crisis.
Cruz, who introduced the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025” in October to sanction Nigerian officials he accused of “facilitating the mass murder of Christians,” repeated his position in a post on X on Wednesday.
He alleged that Nigerian officials have enabled violence against Christians and religious minorities through blasphemy and Sharia laws while ignoring jihadist attacks. He claimed Washington already knows which officials are responsible, adding that his bill targets sanctions against them and that Trump had ordered military action over the issue.
Cruz said that rather than address American concerns directly, Nigerian officials ran a public relations campaign against critics, one he said the US House of Representatives had just “definitively” discredited.
His remarks followed a US House vote to raise the withholding of assistance to Nigeria from 50 percent to 100 percent until the country takes concrete steps to curb violence within its borders. The amendment passed by voice vote last Wednesday.
Cruz is not alone in criticising Nigeria’s lobbying push. The same month DCI Group was hired, Matthew Tonlagha, vice-chairman of Tantita Security Services, also engaged Valcour Global Public Strategy, a Washington firm, to strengthen US-Nigeria bilateral ties.
Chris Smith, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa subcommittee, said the lobbying deals confirm that “a culture of denial by Nigerian officials persists.”
Frank: Presidency Deceiving Nigerians Over Trump Letter
Timi Frank alleged the Presidency was misrepresenting a reported Trump letter as a political endorsement, arguing that questions around court documents on Tinubu’s alleged past drug case remain matters of public interest that should not be buried by the letter’s publicity.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Frank called the letter routine diplomatic correspondence and challenged the Presidency to publish it to prove its authenticity, questioning why it lacked a White House seal or the US President’s signature.
He said the letter, at best, only commended Nigeria for security cooperation with the US and was not an endorsement of Tinubu’s leadership, economic policies, or administration, nor did it signal US backing for any Nigerian election.
Frank, who serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua’s Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, alleged the publicity was a distraction from ongoing scrutiny of documents tied to Tinubu’s alleged past drug case.
He noted the letter was reportedly dated July 6 but only surfaced publicly weeks later, arguing that a genuine endorsement would have been publicised immediately.
He recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari was hosted at the White House during Trump’s first term, saying such direct engagement carries far more diplomatic weight than a reported letter.
Frank also questioned reports that the Federal Government spent millions of dollars on US lobbyists to polish its international image, arguing that a genuinely credible government would have little need for expensive reputation management abroad.
He said credibility cannot be bought through letters or PR campaigns, but is earned through transparent leadership, accountability, and faithful service to the people.
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