By Ezinwanne Onwuka
The bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is urging Congress to ban the world’s religion bullies from hiring lobbyists to spin their false narratives. Case in point is Nigeria’s $9 million lobbying contract in Washington intended to downplay its Christian-persecution problem.
Nigeria’s CPC Status and Lobbying Contract
Nigeria signed a six-month, $9 million contract with Washington lobbying firm DCI Group amid heightened attention from Washington under President Trump. The agreement, executed December 17, 2025, runs through June 30, 2026, with automatic renewal.
According to the contract documents seen by TruthNigeria, DCI Group will “assist the Nigerian government through Aster Legal in communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities and maintaining U.S. support in countering West African jihadist groups and other destabilizing elements.”
That comes out to $750,000 monthly retainer, paid in two six-month installments of $4.5 million each. Nigeria paid a $4.5 million retainer on December 12, 2025, covering the first six months of the agreement.
Good work, if you can get it.
On October 31, 2025, President Donald J. Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. Under U.S. law, the label is reserved for governments that engage in or tolerate “particularly severe” violations of religious freedom.
The designation followed pressure from U.S. lawmakers worried that Nigeria’s Muslim-heavy government has failed egregiously to protect Christian communities from attacks by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani ethnic militias.
USCIRF’s 2025 Annual Report states that roughly 30,000 Fulani bandits operate in multiple armed groups across northwest Nigeria, often targeting Christian communities. Attacks peak on Christian holidays, with security forces rarely intervening despite nearby checkpoints.
Abuja rejects the genocide label and even insists Christians are not suffering extraordinary persecution. Officials claim the country’s violence is driven by terrorism, criminality, and land disputes, not state-backed religious repression.
Separately, Nigerian billionaire Matthew Tonlagha signed a $120,000-a-month contract with Washington-based consulting firm Valcour to lobby U.S. media, Congress, and the Trump administration “for the purpose of strengthening the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Nigeria.” The contract will run from December 15, 2025, to June 14, 2026.
Capitol Hill Presses for Accountability
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing earlier this month titled Defending Religious Freedom Around the World, lawmakers voiced concern that lobbying contracts could soften scrutiny of Nigeria’s CPC status.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said he was troubled by efforts to counter that designation through lobbying.
Smith, who has chaired 13 hearings on religious persecution in Nigeria, recently introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 alongside Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV).
The bill would require the Secretary of State to submit a comprehensive report to Congress on U.S. efforts to address religious persecution and mass atrocities against Christians in Nigeria.
“For years, Christians in Nigeria have faced unspeakable violence—churches burned, villages destroyed, families slaughtered—while the global community looked away. As part of the investigation President Trump asked me to lead, I visited Nigeria and witnessed firsthand the horrors our brothers and sisters in Christ face and saw the security challenges Nigeria faces,” Rep. Moore said in a press release.
USCIRF’s Targets PR Campaigns by Rights Violators
USCIRF is recommending that Congress should bar CPC-designated governments from engaging in paid lobbying or public relations campaigns aimed at influencing lawmakers.
“Every day, we hear heartbreaking stories of religious minorities suffering horrendous persecution perpetrated or tolerated by foreign governments who then distort their records in the halls of Congress,” said USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler in a press statement.
“The U.S. Congress should prohibit any person from receiving compensation for lobbying on behalf of foreign governments of countries that the United States has designated as CPCs.”
Vice Chair Asif Mahmood echoed that warning. “Rather than working to meet their obligations under international law, CPC designated governments are trying to misconstrue religious freedom violations in their countries,” he said.
“Congress should introduce legislation that sufficiently restricts the efforts of foreign, CPC designated governments to pay lobbyists to conceal their particularly severe religious persecution.”
Ban on Paid Lobbying, Not Diplomacy
When asked directly whether USCIRF wants Nigeria’s $9 million contract canceled, Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi told TruthNigeria: “This would be dependent on what the U.S. Congress determines the parameters of the legislation should be.”
He stressed that the commission is not seeking to cut off diplomacy altogether.
“USCIRF’s recommendation is that CPC designated countries should be prohibited from paying lobbyists,” Elsanousi said. “It is up to foreign governments to determine how they engage, subject to existing law or any new legislation that may be passed.”
The goal, he added, is not to “unduly punish governments without justification,” but to incentivize reforms and reduce violations of freedom of religion or belief.
Wider Lobbying Campaigns beyond Nigeria
Nigeria is not alone. USCIRF also cited Saudi Arabia and India as examples of governments allegedly using public relations strategies to soften narratives around religious freedom concerns.
According to USCIRF, Saudi Arabia continues to use public relations firms to hide executions of Shi’a Muslims, including minors arrested as teens. Shi’a face discrimination in jobs, courts, and military access.
India, USCIRF-recommended for CPC in 2025, hired a public relations firm in January 2026 to downplay violent mob attacks, illegitimate arrests, and demolitions Christians and Muslims places of worship.
Ezinwanne Onwuka writes special features for TruthNigeria.
