A Washington based lobbying firm has stated that it has become clear to President Donald Trump administration and the United States Congress that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and his government are a joke with no real commitment to addressing the insecurity facing Nigeria.
Von Batten Montague York L.C. made the declaration following a November 12 congressional hearing on Nigeria organised by the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee.
The hearing, titled One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt, came one year after the United States redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
During the hearing, lawmakers, including Republican Representative Riley Moore, expressed serious concerns over continued attacks, killings and kidnappings targeting Christian communities and other residents in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
They questioned the Tinubu administration’s response to the violence, particularly its failure to dismantle militia strongholds, destroy kidnapping camps and demonstrate meaningful progress in restoring security.
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia warned that Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election, expected in January, could trigger further violence.
Garcia cited the country’s overstretched security architecture, limited judicial reach into the Middle Belt and limited resources as factors that could worsen the security situation during the election period.
Representative Moore called on Congress to closely monitor Nigeria’s presidential election, saying lawmakers must ensure that Nigerians are allowed to freely choose leaders capable of ending the violence.
He said Congress needed to watch the election like a hawk, adding that he would personally monitor developments and urging others to do the same.
Reacting to the hearing, Von Batten Montague York said it had become clear to the Trump administration and the US Congress that Tinubu’s government had no real commitment to addressing insecurity in Nigeria.
The firm also accused President Tinubu and his administration of working to circumvent the will of Nigerians and rig the upcoming presidential election.
It warned that any attempt to manipulate the electoral process would only lead to more kidnappings and murders, insisting that Nigerians must be allowed to elect leaders who can genuinely end the killings.
The lobbying firm further criticised what it described as the government’s spending priorities, alleging that Tinubu was spending millions of dollars purchasing Toyota Land Cruisers and Range Rovers for the ruling All Progressives Congress campaign while presenting crudely modified rickshaws as new combat vehicles for the military.
Mocking the reported military vehicles, the firm said it fully expected Tinubu to announce that hundreds of millions of dollars had been spent acquiring the rickshaws.
It described the situation as a troubling contrast between expensive sport utility vehicles for the president and his political associates and tricycles allegedly held together with duct tape for soldiers fighting terrorists.
The firm also raised concerns over alleged corruption in Nigeria’s military funding, claiming that congressional and US State Department reports had repeatedly highlighted the theft of funds officially allocated to the Nigerian military to fight Boko Haram and other terrorist organisations.
According to the firm, senior Nigerian officials had stolen money meant to equip and support troops battling insurgents, raising serious questions about accountability and the management of the country’s security budget.
Von Batten Montague York accused members of the Tinubu administration of alleged dishonesty, corruption and complicity in the country’s security crisis.
It thanked US lawmakers for raising concerns about Nigeria during the congressional hearing and urged the United States to take action.
The firm’s statement was directed at senior American officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House officials and members of Congress from both political parties. Major news outlets were also among those addressed.
The latest criticism comes amid continued international scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of insecurity, religious violence, military funding and democratic accountability.
With communities across the country still facing attacks, kidnappings and killings, the Tinubu administration faces growing pressure to demonstrate concrete results in protecting lives, strengthening security operations and ensuring credible elections.
