United States lawmakers have criticised the Nigerian government’s reported $9 million lobbying contract in Washington, warning that the deal appears designed to downplay serious human rights and religious freedom violations in the country.
The criticism came on Wednesday during a joint hearing of the US House Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, titled “Defending Religious Freedom Around the World.” The session featured testimony from former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, and former Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Dr Stephen Schneck.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, Chris Smith, defended the October 2025 designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, describing the move as “long overdue” given years of deadly violence against Christian communities.
Smith expressed concern over efforts to counter the designation through lobbying in Washington.
“I am deeply concerned that Nigeria has hired the lobbying firm, DCI Group, to the tune of $9 million—$750,000 a month,” Smith said.
“And a Nigerian billionaire has entered into a $120,000-a-month contract with Washington-based consulting firm Valcour to influence Congress and the Executive Branch.”
He accused lobbying firms of producing polished narratives that minimise religious freedom abuses, saying they often create the impression that “there is nothing to see here.”
While Smith framed the CPC designation as necessary pressure on Abuja, the ranking member of the subcommittee, Representative Sara Jacobs, criticised what she described as an overly narrow focus on Christian persecution.
Jacobs noted that despite concerns about religious violence, the United States had cut hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign assistance to Nigeria, including programmes that supported faith leaders and conflict-affected communities. She cited the termination of the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace programme, which she said had helped reduce violence in some areas.
“The violence in Nigeria is complex, affecting both Christians and Muslims,” Jacobs said, warning that oversimplifying the crisis along religious lines could inflame tensions rather than resolve them.
She also questioned the effectiveness of recent US military action in Sokoto State, arguing that airstrikes had not materially improved the lives of affected communities.
Former USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck echoed those concerns, saying the cost of the military strikes likely exceeded funding previously allocated to interfaith and humanitarian programmes. He warned that military action could even strengthen militant groups.
Testifying on the broader situation, Schneck described Nigeria’s challenges as a mix of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorism, farmer–herder conflicts, banditry, organised crime, mass displacement, and what he called a “corrupt and failing government” unable to provide basic security and justice.
Lawmakers also debated whether the CPC designation alone was effective. While Representative Jefferson Shreve questioned its impact, Brownback argued that the label must be backed by concrete measures such as sanctions.
“Until you put some bite into it, most of these dictators are just going to thumb their nose at you,” Brownback said, calling for Magnitsky-style sanctions and targeted economic penalties.
Brownback further accused the Nigerian government of abandoning power-sharing traditions and failing to protect vulnerable communities.
“This government has not given us any reason to trust them,” he said.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Christians in Nigeria are facing genocide and has previously threatened military action. The Nigerian government has rejected those claims, insisting that while the country faces serious security challenges, there is no genocide.
Despite the tensions, US Africa Command, working with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, carried out airstrikes on December 25 against terrorist targets in Sokoto State.
In January, documents revealed that the Federal Government had entered into a $9 million contract with US-based lobbying firm DCI Group to communicate Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christians to the US government. Filings showed that Kaduna-based Aster Legal retained DCI Group on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, with the agreement signed on December 17, 2025.