While its own arms manufacturing corporation is dying from lack of funds, Nigeria blows $3 million to lobby America for used weapons

The federal government in its desperation to procure arms and ammunitions, in 2013, blew $3 million (about N560 million now) on a lobbying contract aimed at convincing the United States government to donate used American military equipment to Nigeria.

According to documents obtained by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, the one year contract was awarded by the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, to Patton Boggs, an American firm of lawyers which specialises in lobbying in September, 2013.

The lobbying company’s brief was “providing comprehensive security/defense advice, to include pursuing potential donation by the U.S. Government to the Government of Nigeria excess military and law enforcement equipment.”

In plain language, what Nigeria was seeking by this contract was for Patton Boggs to lobby the US government to donate to it arms and ammunition that had been used and was no longer needed by the American military..

In what has now become a trend of impunity among Nigerian government agencies in awarding such public relations/lobbying contracts, the NSA’s office did not go through any due process but handpicked the contractor and paid money to it that was never appropriated.

This website has already published two such contracts questionably awarded to foreign PR firms without due process, with no significant results delivered.

In the first contract, the News Agency of Nigeria, the nation’s official wire service, in June awarded a contract to Levick Strategic Communications, a Washington – based public relations for an amount in excess of $1.5 million to help shape local and international perception about the Nigerian government’s fight against terrorists.

READ MORE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/nigeria-squanders-3-million-to-beg-america-for-used-arms/

U ppl have been hammering on how d previous govt squandered and laundered money and we have heard enough of it... Show us d weapons U purchased and acquired with d 1billion dollars PMB took to fight insurgency before d elections