- Nigeria has hired a U.S. lobbying firm under a $9 million contract to promote its efforts to protect Christians and counterterrorism amid renewed scrutiny and accusations of Christian persecution.
The federal government has signed a $9 million contract with a U.S. lobbying firm to help communicate Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christians to the U.S. government.
Kaduna-based law firm Aster Legal has hired DCI Group on behalf of national security adviser Nuhu Ribadu, according to lobbying disclosures filed with the US Department of Justice. DCI Group is an American public affairs and lobbying firm.
The agreement was signed on December 17, 2025, by Aster Legal Managing Partner Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim and DCI Group Managing Member Justin Peterson.
According to the terms of the contract, DCI Group is expected to “assist the Nigerian government, through Aster Legal, in communicating its actions to protect Nigeria’s Christian communities and maintain U.S. support in the fight against jihadist groups and other destabilizing elements in West Africa.”
The contract has an initial term of six months, ending on June 30, 2026, and will automatically renew for another six months unless terminated. A clause in the agreement allows either party to terminate the contract for any reason without penalty, provided 60 days’ written notice is given.
According to reports, on December 12, Nigeria paid US$4.5 million to DCI Group as a six-month advance payment. The contract provides for a monthly upfront payment of $750,000, covering professional fees and expenses, payable in two six-month installments of $4.5 million each.
The contact comes as the U.S. government becomes increasingly concerned about reports of the killings of Christians in Nigeria. In October, former US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over Christian genocide accusations.
Nigeria’s government has consistently denied accusations of genocide and has pledged to engage with U.S. authorities. In November, Trump escalated his rhetoric, threatening military intervention to protect Christians in Nigeria.
On Christmas Day, the United States carried out air strikes on two terrorist hideouts in the Bauni Forest area of Tangasa Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
