By Our Reporter
Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government over reports that it approved a $9m contract for lobbying services to communicate to the United States Government its efforts to protect Christians in Nigeria, declaring pointedly that lobbying is a universal, lawful, and widely deployed instrument of statecraft.
Spokesperson of the party, Hon. Seye Oladejo, gave this position in a signed statement, in reaction to criticism by opposition parties of the decision made by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, which they described as an attempt to polish Nigeria’s image abroad while citizens continue to grapple with rising insecurity and economic hardship.
The Lagos APC, while backing the Federal Government's engagement of a U.S.-based lobbying firm, pointed out that the agitation by the opposition parties, including African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), "though loud, betrays either a grave ignorance of modern governance or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public."
According to the party, lobbying is a universal practice even in advanced democracies, saying that governments routinely engage lobbying and public affairs firms-particularly in strategic capitals like Washington to promote national interests, attract investment, correct misinformation, and strengthen diplomatic and security cooperation.
The party said countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa deployed such firms to influence policy, boost trade, secure development assistance, and protect strategic assets, noting that Nigeria’s action, therefore, was neither novel nor improper; but a standard global practice.
"What this engagement clearly signifies is the end of the opposition’s unrestrained demarketing of Nigeria before the comity of nations. The Federal Government is not unaware of the enormous resources the opposition has historically deployed to talk the country down internationally, while paradoxically remaining disappointed that their repeated predictions of doom and Armageddon have failed to materialize.
"By proactively projecting Nigeria’s reforms, priorities, and progress through legitimate global channels, the government has ensured that the true Nigerian story will now be told in truth and in deed-from a positive, factual, and forward-looking perspective, not by those driven by cynicism, misinformation, and a destructive political agenda.
"The discomfort of the opposition does not stem from concern for probity, but from the realization that Nigeria has chosen confidence over apology, engagement over silence, and leadership over provincial thinking. Strategic international advocacy is not a crime; it is a necessity in a competitive global order," the party stated.
APC, therefore, urged Nigerians to see through what it described as "the manufactured hysteria" and remain focused on the bigger picture of "a Nigeria that is reclaiming its voice, defending its interests, and asserting its rightful place on the global stage."
"The Lagos APC urges Nigerians to see through the manufactured hysteria and remain focused on the bigger picture: a Nigeria that is reclaiming its voice, defending its interests, and asserting its rightful place on the global stage," the statement said.
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