"Experts Warn Nigerian Government: PR Can't Solve Insecurity, Even with $9M Contract"

A criminologist and security expert, Dr. Sulaiman Ishak Muhamad of the Department of Criminology and Security Studies, Federal University, Dutse, has warned that the Federal Government’s reported $9 million lobbying contract in the United States could expose Nigeria’s security framework and weaken the country’s sovereignty.
Dr. Muhammad made the remarks while commenting on reports that the Nigerian government hired a U.S.-based lobbying firm to communicate its protective strategies for Christian communities in Nigeria.

According to him, the contract was signed on December 17, 2025, through Oscar Legal Firm in Kaduna, acting on behalf of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

He said the lobbying firm, identified as DCI Group, was contracted for six months at a cost of $9 million, with the agreement said to be automatically renewable.

He disclosed that the Nigerian government had already paid $4.5 million upfront, while the firm is also to receive $750,000 monthly as part of the agreement.

“The essence of this contract is to deny claims that Christian communities in Nigeria are being neglected, isolated, exploited, or killed,” Muhammad said during an exclusive interview with DAILYPOST.

“The government wants to communicate that this does not go on in Nigeria and that it is committed to protecting Christian communities.”

He explained that the deal is meant to project Nigeria as safer and more protective of its citizens.

He added that the lobbying effort is expected to improve Nigeria’s diplomatic image globally, especially with the United States.

According to him, there are positive implications to the contract.

“Globally, Nigeria may be accepted as a key economic player in trade, exportation, and international financial institutions like the World Bank and the IMF,” he said.

“Socially, Nigeria’s image may improve, and politically, the country may be seen and acknowledged as a democratic state.”

However, Dr. Muhammad warned that the agreement also carries serious negative consequences, particularly for national security.

“This deal may expose what Nigeria does internally in the name of protection. The United States is a key player, and its motive may go beyond protecting Christian communities.”

He cautioned that the arrangement could open Nigeria to foreign political and economic pressure.

He also noted that powerful countries often pursue broader interests under the guise of support.

“There are economic interests involved, such as oil, lithium, gold, and other natural resources. Nigeria has long been a country of interest, especially because of its resources.”

Dr. Muhammad further warned that once global powers begin to raise red flags against a country, “they do not stop.”

They continue to threaten every aspect of your system. The more Nigeria turns towards these threats, the more vulnerable it becomes in terms of security and defence.”

He also expressed concern that allowing foreign access to Nigeria’s security systems, even under the pretext of assistance, could weaken national independence.

“When a country gains access to your security framework in the name of aid, it often uses that opportunity to understand your system fully,” he said.

He described this as another process of neocolonisation.

“We are now a sovereign nation and when we are asked to do, and not to do, and protect claim by another country who is also a sovereign country, then it shows that we have lost and we are losing our leverage, liberty as a nation, losing our sovereignty as a nation to the United State of America.”

According to him, history shows that countries where foreign powers intervene under religious or humanitarian claims often lose peace and stability.

“Many of these countries have ceased to be peaceful nations because the relationships between stronger countries and lower ones are usually exploitative in nature,” he said.

Dr. Mohamad added that Nigeria’s growing economic capacity, including its oil production and refinery strength, could also attract external pressure.

“Nigerian refineries is a common interest because now Nigeria produces oil that it can feed its population and even give to the global world. Nigeria in the African nation has the largest oil refinery today and this is a threat to the United States and its allies and they may try to bend Nigeria towards their interest and this may affect many things.

“Many key players will be affected but the Nigerian government must be very sensitive, must be very agile and must stand firm in protecting the leverage, the sovereignty of the Nigerian society against foreign interest and foreign threats.

“These are foreign interests, these are foreign threats, possibly these interests, they are interests that might bring Nigeria a lot of damage because these interests don’t stop and history has shown that.

“So Nigerian government must be committed towards understanding what kind of relationship it goes into, what kind of treaties it signs with the United State of America,” he said.

He warned that Nigeria must act with caution, as such pressure could weaken the country’s security balance and also threaten internal stability.

According to him, Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria currently coexist peacefully; politically, socially and economically with mutual respect.

However, he said claims pushed by the international community could deepen divisions and pose a risk to national unity.

He noted that Nigeria’s deep diversity, with over 500 languages and more than 350 ethnic groups, makes it especially vulnerable to narratives that raise alarm, whether true or not, as such perceptions can influence how citizens view their society and each other.

$9 million contract: You cannot fix insecurity with PR – Security Analyst slams FG

Similarly, a Nigerian security analyst, Abdullahi Bokaji Adamu, has criticised the Federal Government’s reported $9 million lobbying contract in the United States, warning that public relations efforts abroad cannot replace real security action at home.

Adamu, who spoke in an exclusive interview with DAILYPOST on Wednesday, said the move reflects a deeper strategic problem in Nigeria’s approach to insecurity.

“As a Nigerian, a Muslim, and a security analyst, I see this lobbying contract as a symptom of a deeper problem, not a solution,” he said.

The analyst was reacting to reports that the Federal Government hired a lobbying firm to help communicate its efforts at protecting Christians in Nigeria to the United States government.

From a security standpoint, Adamu said no amount of international lobbying can solve Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, stressing that violence affects Christians, Muslims, and traditional communities alike.

“Insecurity in Nigeria is real and it cuts across all religious and ethnic lines. Framing it narrowly as a ‘Christian protection’ issue for foreign audiences oversimplifies a complex crisis.”

According to him, Nigeria’s security challenges are driven by terrorism, banditry, weak policing, poor intelligence coordination, and governance failures, not religious persecution.

“As a Muslim, I reject any suggestion that the Nigerian state tolerates religious persecution. This is not a religious war. It is a failure of security institutions and the justice system.”

He warned that selling a counter-narrative abroad without fixing visible problems at home could damage Nigeria’s credibility internationally.

“You cannot fix insecurity with public relations.”

While noting that governments around the world sometimes hire lobbying firms, Adamu stressed that credibility in security diplomacy comes from results, not contracts.

“International lobbying is not unusual. But credibility is earned through measurable improvements in civilian protection, stronger police capacity, intelligence-led operations, and accountability.”

He added that the most effective message to the United States and the international community would be visible progress in tackling insecurity, rather than spending millions of dollars on lobbying.

“The most effective message to Washington and the world would be measurable improvements in civilian protection, police capacity, intelligence-led operations, and accountability not expensive lobbying. In summary, fixing Nigeria’s security challenges at home will speak louder globally than any lobbyist ever can,” he said.

Lobbying over insecurity an admission of failure – Mahdi Shehu

Also speaking, public affairs analyst Mahdi Shehu criticised the Federal Government’s reported $9 million lobbying contract in the United States, describing it as an admission that the government has failed to tackle insecurity at home.

Shehu made this known in an exclusive interview with DAILYPOST.

“Engaging consultants or lobby groups to sell so-called efforts on insecurity is simply admitting that the claim is true,” Shehu said.

“Action speaks louder than noise.”

He questioned why the government would spend about N16 billion on consultancy and lobbying if it had concrete achievements to show.

“Why would you require N16 billion just to communicate what actions you have taken?” he asked.

“If real work is being done on the ground, there would be no need for panic diplomacy.”

According to him, the expenditure is reckless and shows poor judgment at a time many Nigerians are struggling with hunger, unemployment, and insecurity.

“This N16 billion consultancy is unnecessary and wasteful. It reflects how imprudent this government is and how desperate it has become to cling to power.”

Shehu argued that the money could have been used to directly improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

He said the funds could have supported thousands of small businesses and reduced unemployment.

“With N16 billion, about 64,000 Nigerians could receive N250,000 each as seed capital. The multiplier effect could save over 640,000 people from idleness and unemployment.”

He also accused the government of nepotism, alleging that the contract was awarded to a law firm linked to the President’s ethnic group.

“Simply put, this money has been handed to Tinubu’s tribesmen’s legal chamber,” he alleged, describing the move as “open nepotism.”

“Consultancy contracts are supposed to comply with procurement laws. But what we are seeing is handpicking, awarding, disbursing, and ignoring what Nigerians feel.

“Every day is for the thief, one day is for the owner,” Shehu said.