A US based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten Montague York, L.C., has said that Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu failed to secure a meeting with US President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly in New York despite an alleged $9 million lobbying effort.
The firm made the claim in a September 22, 2026 post on its X account, saying it was a shame that after spending $9 million, Tinubu and the Nigerian Presidency had been denied access to Trump.
Von Batten Montague York also suggested that Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima should spend another $9 million in an attempt to gain access to the US president, using a sarcastic reference to taking a selfie with Trump.
The firm further alleged that Tinubu had been instrumental in smuggling heroin into the United States and said he had no right to be in the same room or city as Trump.
The statement also published Trump’s planned schedule for the following day in New York, highlighting a series of diplomatic meetings and events involving several world leaders.
At 9:55 a.m., Trump was scheduled to deliver remarks to the United Nations General Assembly.
At 10:40 a.m., he was scheduled to participate in a trilateral signing with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland.
At 11:45 a.m., Trump was scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the prime minister of the United Kingdom.
At 12:30 p.m., he was scheduled to meet bilaterally with the prime minister of Japan.
At 12:45 p.m., First Lady Melania Trump was scheduled to deliver remarks on expanding Fostering the Future Together.
At 1:15 p.m., Trump was scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the president of Ukraine.
At 2:15 p.m., he was scheduled to participate in a Shield of the Americas event.
At 2:45 p.m., Trump was scheduled to hold a multilateral meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The evening programme included a 7:15 p.m. United Nations General Assembly leaders’ reception, followed at 7:40 p.m. by a pull aside meeting between Trump and Venezuela’s acting president.
Von Batten Montague York said the published schedule showed that Tinubu was not among the foreign leaders listed for a bilateral meeting with Trump.
The firm has previously campaigned around historical US law enforcement records concerning allegations involving Tinubu and alleged heroin trafficking dating back to the 1980s and 1990s.
Its latest statement is part of a broader campaign seeking the release and examination of historical records from US agencies, including the FBI and DEA. The firm has also brought the issue to the attention of US lawmakers and called for further scrutiny of the records.
The statement therefore combines the firm’s allegations about the alleged lobbying expenditure and Tinubu’s historical legal controversies with Trump’s published schedule for his UN General Assembly engagements.
The claims are part of an increasingly public dispute surrounding Tinubu, the historical US records and the lobbying activities of Von Batten Montague York.
