Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has launched an unprecedented, high stakes counter offensive in Washington, deploying one of the most expensive lobbying operations in Africa’s modern political history to blunt a surging Biafra separatist influence campaign that has penetrated the heart of conservative politics in the United States.
According to confidential FARA filings and senior government sources who elected anonymity, the presidency has “taken the gloves off”, moving aggressively to reclaim Nigeria’s narrative in Washington after months of separatist lobbying culminated in President Donald Trump’s explosive November 1 declaration that he was prepared to send US troops into Nigeria “guns ablazing” to stop what he called a “genocide against Christians.” That threat; unprecedented in US–Nigeria relations, sent shockwaves through Abuja and triggered an emergency national security scramble that has now evolved into a full blown lobbying war.
A $750,000 a Month Counterstrike
Alarmed by the speed with which Biafra aligned groups gained traction among Trump world evangelicals, Republican lawmakers, and former administration officials, Tinubu’s allies moved swiftly to sign a $750,000 per month contract with the powerful Republican linked DCI Group. The deal; one of the most expensive ever undertaken by an African government in Washington, is being funded through Aster Legal, a Nigeria and Florida based entity whose backers insiders say include wealthy Tinubu supporters and possibly indirect government channels. DCI’s mission is clear: reframe Nigeria’s image in Washington, counter claims of Christian persecution, secure US military cooperation, protect Nigeria from sanctions and punitive action, and undercut Biafra’s influence among Trump’s inner circle
The urgency was unmistakable. Within days of Trump’s threat, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu dispatched teams to Washington for back to back meetings with the Pentagon, Trump aligned officials, and senior US defense leaders. By November 20, Ribadu and Nigerian military intelligence officers were sitting across from US Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. What followed was a rapid escalation of US–Nigeria security coordination, including US airstrikes on suspected jihadist targets in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day, reportedly at Trump’s insistence.
The Biafra Lobby: Small Budget, Big Influence
Tinubu’s counter offensive is a direct response to the surprising effectiveness of the Biafran Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), a splintered but well connected separatist movement that has been quietly cultivating the American religious right for nearly two decades. Despite paying just $66,000 a month to the boutique Madison & Washington lobbying firm, the separatists have secured endorsements from influential Republican figures including Senator Ted Cruz, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo and evangelical networks that hold significant sway with Trump
Their message, framed around allegations of a state enabled Christian genocide, has resonated deeply within Trump’s political base. The separatists have gone further, urging Washington to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials; recognize a hypothetical Biafran administration; support military strikes, and pursue future oil deals with a breakaway Biafra. Some of these claims omit the reality that many separatist attacks in the southeast involve Christians killing Christians, complicating the narrative being sold in Washington.
Tinubu’s Red Line: Nigeria Will Not Be Defined by “Christian Genocide” Claims
Sources close to the presidency told Huhuonline.com that Tinubu views the separatists’ messaging as an existential threat; not only to Nigeria’s territorial integrity but to its global reputation and its strategic relationship with the United States. “Tinubu is determined that Nigeria will not be defined through a ‘Christian persecution’ lens,” one Aso Rock insider said. “The government believes the separatists crossed a red line when their lobbying contributed to Trump threatening military action,” the source added. DCI’s task is therefore twofold: neutralize the genocide narrative, and reassert Nigeria as a key U.S. security partner in West Africa. The firm’s senior advisors include Doug Davenport; long connected to Trump’s political machine, and Roger Stone, a close Trump ally, who is listed as an advisor on the contract.
A Lobbying War with Global Consequences
The stakes are enormous. In the coming months, the US Congress will decide whether to approve $346 million in precision bombs and rockets for Nigeria. By 2028, Nigeria is also scheduled to receive 12 AH 1Z Cobra attack helicopters worth nearly $1 billion. Tinubu’s team is determined to ensure that separatist lobbying does not derail these deals or reshape US policy toward Nigeria. Meanwhile, the separatist movement itself is in turmoil, with leadership disputes, website cloning allegations, and internal expulsions weakening its cohesion even as its Washington influence grows.
A New Phase in Nigeria’s Foreign Policy
For years, Abuja largely ignored diaspora separatist lobbying. Not anymore. Tinubu’s aggressive counter lobbying marks a dramatic shift—one that acknowledges the new reality that Washington’s perception of Nigeria can be shaped as much by small, well connected activist groups as by official diplomacy. As one senior Nigerian diplomat in Washington put it: “This is no longer just politics. It is national security. Nigeria cannot afford to lose the information war in Washington.” With both sides now entrenched, the battle for influence in the US capital is set to intensify; reshaping US–Nigeria relations, diaspora politics, and the future of the Biafra question itself.
