Far from the campaign rallies, political meetings and roadside posters taking shape across Nigeria, another contest is unfolding in the corridors of power in the United States, where lobbyists are being paid to shape narratives, open doors and influence policymakers.
Publicly disclosed and reported filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that more than $10 million has been committed to US lobbying efforts linked to the two camps surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar since December 2025.
Atiku earlier this year hired Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. for $1.2 million to protect and strengthen his ‘reputational standing’ in the United States. One of the stated objectives of the engagement is to ‘counterbalance’ the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives.
By July, the firm said it had begun providing members of the Donald Trump administration, Congress and senior congressional staff with historical US Department of Justice records relating to a 1993 drug-trafficking asset forfeiture case linked to Tinubu.
More than 60 pages of DOJ records were reportedly submitted as the firm sought to bring the documents to the attention of Trump and members of Congress.
Far from the campaign rallies, political meetings and roadside posters taking shape across Nigeria, another contest is unfolding in the corridors of power in the United States, where lobbyists are being paid to shape narratives, open doors and influence policymakers.
Publicly disclosed and reported filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that more than $10 million has been committed to US lobbying efforts linked to the two camps surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar since December 2025.
Atiku earlier this year hired Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C. for $1.2 million to protect and strengthen his ‘reputational standing’ in the United States. One of the stated objectives of the engagement is to ‘counterbalance’ the Nigerian government’s lobbying narratives.
By July, the firm said it had begun providing members of the Donald Trump administration, Congress and senior congressional staff with historical US Department of Justice records relating to a 1993 drug-trafficking asset forfeiture case linked to Tinubu.
More than 60 pages of DOJ records were reportedly submitted as the firm sought to bring the documents to the attention of Trump and members of Congress.
What does N14bn mean to a poor Nigerian?
For a lobbyist in Washington, millions of dollars can mean access: meetings with policymakers, strategic communication, media engagement and efforts to influence the perception of a country or politician.
For a Nigerian household struggling with poverty, the same money carries a different meaning.
The World Bank estimates that 143 million Nigerians could be living below the national poverty line in 2026.
Against that backdrop, N14 billion may appear small when measured against Nigeria’s enormous population and the size of the federal budget. But when broken down into targeted interventions, the figure becomes more tangible.
At N1million each, for instance, N14billion could theoretically provide N1million in capital to 14,000 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, farmers or unemployed young Nigerians.
It would not guarantee that all 14,000 businesses survive or create sustainable jobs. But for a young Nigerian who has an idea but lacks the capital to buy equipment, a farmer unable to purchase inputs or a small business owner struggling to expand, N1million can represent the difference between remaining informal and taking the next step.
The same money could be channelled into primary healthcare. Nigeria’s primary healthcare centres remain the frontline of the health system, particularly for poor and rural communities. Many operate with shortages of medicines, equipment, electricity, water and health workers.
A portion of N14 billion directed at upgrading and equipping selected centres could mean functioning laboratories, maternity units, solar power, essential drugs and basic diagnostic equipment.