A recent US congressional hearing focused on global religious freedom has sharply criticized the Nigerian government’s $9 million lobbying contract in Washington.
Lawmakers expressed concerns that the deal appeared designed to downplay the country’s human rights and religious freedom violations.
The criticisms were raised during a joint hearing held on Wednesday by the House Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, titled ‘Defending Religious Freedom Around the World’.
The session featured testimony from Sam Brownback, the former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, and Dr. Stephen Schneck, former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, defended the US decision to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act in October 2025.
Smith described this designation as “long overdue,” especially in light of the ongoing violence against Christian communities in the country.
However, Smith expressed his concerns about Nigeria’s attempts to counter this designation through lobbying efforts.
“I just want to say to my colleagues that I am deeply concerned that Nigeria has hired the lobbying firm, DCI Group, to the tune of $9 million, $750,000 a month,” Smith lamented.
“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.”
Smith further criticized the tactics used by these lobbying firms, adding, “They hire these firms; they come up with their very well-written talking points to say nothing to see here and unfortunately, how these firms are just so good at advocating for their client for religious freedom.”
While Smith framed the CPC designation as essential pressure on Nigeria, Ranking Member Sara Jacobs critiqued what she described as an overly narrow focus on Christian persecution.
Jacobs pointed out that despite the US’s stated concerns about religious violence, it had cut hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign assistance to Nigeria, including vital programs supporting faith leaders and conflict-affected communities.
She specifically mentioned the termination of the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace program, which had been instrumental in reducing violence in various parts of the country.
“Despite the administration’s apparent interest in addressing conflict and religious tensions in Nigeria, it has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign assistance to Nigeria, including assistance to faith leaders and to communities experiencing violence in the Middle Belt,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs cautioned against framing the violence in Nigeria purely as a religious issue.
“The violence in Nigeria is complex, affecting both Christians and Muslims, and the drivers of this violence are multifaceted and cannot be reduced to a single framing,” she stated. “Oversimplistic narratives can further inflame religious tensions in communities.”
The lawmaker also questioned the effectiveness of recent US military actions in Sokoto State.
“And yet, it is clear that President Trump only cares about Christians in Nigeria, and his only real action to address this problem, military strikes over Christmas, has not even done anything to materially help those communities,” Jacobs remarked.
Dr. Schneck agreed, noting that the cost of the military strikes likely exceeded the funding previously allocated to interfaith and humanitarian programs.
He warned that military actions could potentially strengthen militant groups rather than weaken them.
According to him: “In fact, it occurs to me that the cost of the Tomahawk missiles that were sent probably exceeded the amount of money that had previously been going to Nigeria to improve interfaith relations and provide humanitarian assistance,” Schneck explained.
“So, it is very concerning to me. In fact, I suspect, really, that strikes like that, to the extent that they have any effect at all, would likely drive some of these more militant organizations together in greater unity and perhaps mobilize them in the future. So I think that the strike was a mistake,” he added.
Schneck, testifying on the broader crisis in Nigeria, described the situation as a mix of terrorism by groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, and organized crime.
He also criticized the Nigerian government for being “corrupt” and “failing” in its responsibility to provide basic security and justice.
During the hearing, lawmakers debated the sufficiency of the CPC designation. Representative Jefferson Shreve questioned whether it was enough to address the situation.
In response, Brownback argued that the designation must be accompanied by sanctions and other concrete measures to be effective. “Until you put some bite into it, most of these dictators are just going to thumb their nose at you,” Brownback said, advocating for “Magnitsky sanctions” and targeted economic penalties.
Schneck supported this view, describing CPC listings as largely “name and shame” without direct consequences. “CPC listings are largely symbolic unless you apply real consequences,” Schneck said.
Despite Rep. Bill Huizenga’s claim that recent US actions had helped refocus attention on Nigeria, Brownback expressed deep mistrust of the Nigerian government, accusing it of abandoning power-sharing traditions and failing to protect vulnerable communities.
“This government has not given us any reason to trust them,” Brownback said, underscoring the skepticism surrounding Nigeria’s multi-million-dollar lobbying campaign.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Christians in Nigeria are facing genocide, even threatening military action. However, the Nigerian government has rejected these claims, insisting that while the country faces serious security challenges, it is not experiencing genocide.
In December 2025, US Africa Command, in coordination with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, carried out airstrikes against terrorist targets in Sokoto State.
The strikes were part of a broader effort to tackle extremist violence in the region.
Documents released in January revealed that the Nigerian government had entered into a $9 million contract with DCI Group, a Washington-based lobbying firm, to help shape the US government’s perspective on Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christians.
This agreement, signed on December 17, 2025, was intended to counter the CPC designation by highlighting the Nigerian government’s actions to protect religious freedom.
Additionally, records showed that billionaire Matthew Tonlagha signed a $120,000-a-month contract with Valcour, another lobbying firm, to help strengthen Nigeria’s bilateral relationship with the US. This contract, which is set to last six months, includes lobbying efforts targeting US media, Congress, and the Trump administration.