The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly criticised the Federal Government over reports that it approved a $9 million public relations and lobbying contract in the United States, describing the move as “defective and deceptive.”
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party expressed outrage over revelations that the Nigerian government, through Aster Legal, engaged DCI Group, a US-based public affairs and lobbying firm, to “assist the Nigerian government in communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities…”
According to the PDP, the contract is expected to run for an initial six months, with an automatic renewal for another six months.
The party described the development as “disturbing” and “shameful,” arguing that it raises serious questions about the administration’s confidence in its own information machinery.
> “This revelation is as disturbing as it is shameful that a government with a full Ministry of Information and a litany of media aides will be paying a foreign firm to launder its image,” the PDP said.
The party further claimed that the deal suggests a lack of trust by the President in the Ministry of Information and his media team, despite what it described as the ministry’s recent display of professionalism.
> “This is a clear indication that the President does not have confidence in the Ministry of Information and his media aides, whereas the Ministry of Information is manned by a seasoned professionals led by a Public Relations expert-who has in the last few years exhibited maturity and responsibility in the management of government information,” the statement added.