The Nigerian government is reportedly spending far more than pro-Biafra lobbyists in Washington, DC, as both camps seek to influence US President Donald Trump over claims of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
Documents filed with the US Department of Justice show that Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, engaged DCI Group on behalf of Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s national security adviser (NSA).
DCI Group, a US public affairs and lobbying firm, has previously built religious freedom support for Ukraine among US conservatives and helped secure a delay in the enforcement of the EU regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR).
The six-month contract, signed on December 17, 2025, includes an automatic renewal clause for another six months.
Under the agreement, Nigeria is to pay a monthly retainer of $750,000, covering professional fees and related expenses.
Records show that on December 12, Nigeria paid $4.5 million to the lobbying firm as an upfront six-month retainer.
While the filings did not state the source of Aster Legal’s funding, sources quoted by Africa Confidential said the funds could come from wealthy supporters of President Bola Tinubu or indirectly from the federal government.
However, Diane London was listed as the contractor to DCI and is responsible for paying the firm’s $750,000 monthly fees on behalf of Aster Legal, which operates offices in Nigeria and Florida.
The contract requires DCI to communicate Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christian communities and sustain US support in combating jihadist groups and other destabilising forces.
Justin Peterson, DCI’s managing member, and Doug Davenport, senior adviser, are to spearhead the engagement.
Davenport, who worked on the presidential campaigns of George W Bush and Elizabeth Dole, was appointed by Trump as his representative on Puerto Rico’s financial oversight board. He also participated in Trump’s 2016, 2020, and 2024 campaigns.
Roger Stone, a close ally of Trump, also serves as an adviser to DCI.
The engagement is also expected to strengthen trade and commercial ties between Nigeria and the United States, opening avenues for increased investment and cooperation.
STARK SPENDING GAP BETWEEN FG AND PRO-BIAFRA ACTIVISTS
In January, a month after Nigeria’s engagement of DCI, the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) announced its own lobbying deal with Washington & Madison, a Washington-based firm led by Elias Gerasoulis.
Gerasoulis, a former partner and vice president at Moran Global Strategies, had previously promoted pro-Biafra interests within Trump’s political circle before establishing Washington & Madison and retaining his Biafran clients.
According to Africa Confidential, BRGIE is paying Washington & Madison a monthly fee of $66,000 to advocate sanctions against Nigerian officials at federal, state, and local levels, encourage US engagement with a proposed Biafran administration, and seek support for military action and favourable oil arrangements in the event of a future Biafra.
Gerasoulis is also expected to brief US officials on the activities of Nigerian government proxies in Biafraland, including the “so-called Nigerian ‘Southeast Governors’”, whom the contract accuses of acting against both Biafran and US interests.
The agreement reportedly plans to accuse the governors of allowing “malign foreign influence, such as Iran, into the oil rich, strategic Gulf of Guinea” and of being “complicit in Christian genocide and highly dangerous to U.S. interests”.
FG LOBBYING EFFORTS ‘YIELDING FRUITS’
The office of the NSA says its engagement with the Trump administration is already producing results.
On Tuesday, the United States delivered military equipment to Nigerian security agencies to support ongoing operations.
According to the NSA’s office, Nigeria has received more than $100 million worth of military hardware in recent weeks.
Africa Confidential further reported that at least 12 Bell Textron AH1Z Cobra attack helicopters valued at $997 million are scheduled for delivery to Nigeria by 2028.
The engagement is expected to continue into the first quarter of 2026, when the US Congress will decide whether to approve the sale of $346 million worth of precision bombs and rockets to Nigeria through the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).