The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has defended the Federal Government’s decision to engage foreign lobbyists, insisting that lobbying is a lawful and globally accepted practice, not a criminal act.
NIPR President, Dr. Ike Neliaku, made the clarification in Abuja on Thursday at the official presentation of the Maiden Nigeria Reputation Perception Index Report 2025.
This comes amid public outrage over the Federal Government’s reported $9 million contract with a United States-based lobbying firm.
The government, through Kaduna-based law firm Aster Legal, hired DCI Group, an American public affairs and lobbying firm, to help communicate Nigeria’s efforts at protecting Christian communities and sustaining US support in countering jihadist groups and other destabilising elements in West Africa.
Documents filed with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act show that the contract, signed on December 17, 2025, was executed on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The agreement, valued at $9 million, covers an initial six-month period ending June 30, 2026, with an option for automatic renewal.
Since the disclosure, many Nigerians have criticised the deal, questioning the propriety of spending millions on image management amid economic hardship, rising inflation, and persistent insecurity.
But Neliaku argued that Nigeria’s reputation challenges are often driven by elite narratives rather than the lived experiences of ordinary citizens. He said,
“Lobbying is not a criminal offence. So for the World Public Relations Forum, those who we are hiring to lobby for us will now come here from 126 countries and that is the greatest lobbying because when they return home, they go back with first-hand impressions of what they have seen. That is, in itself, effective lobbying.”
He noted that the report represents Nigeria’s first evidence-based, measurable national reputation baseline, developed after seven years of research and global benchmarking.
“For the first time, Nigeria now has a measurable reputation baseline, based on evidence, not assumptions. This index repositions reputation as a strategic national asset that should inform public policy, diplomacy, investment attraction and genuine national rebranding,” Neliaku said.
Speaking at the event, former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States and National President of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria, Ambassador Joe Keshi, emphasised that national reputation is a critical yet often neglected asset.
“In a globalised world where perception travels faster than reality, national reputation matters as much as national resources or military strength. You cannot leave your reputation to chance. It must be deliberately built, protected and managed,” Keshi said.
He added that Nigeria’s declining image had weakened its diplomatic influence, citing issues such as security concerns, visa restrictions, and global criticism.
Using sports as an example, Keshi lamented that Nigeria’s inability to maintain world-class infrastructure, including FIFA-approved stadiums, reinforced perceptions of dysfunction, even when the nation’s footballers performed admirably.
In his keynote address, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, described the unveiling of the index as a historic step toward evidence-based governance, institutional accountability, and strategic national branding.
“National reputation is no longer a matter of sentiment but a strategic asset influencing economic opportunities, diplomatic leverage, and democratic legitimacy,” he said. Jibrin assured that the National Assembly would utilise insights from the report to strengthen lawmaking, oversight, and representation, stressing that reputation is ultimately shaped by lived realities, leadership quality, and institutional integrity.
