Bola Tinubu spends $2.7 million on U.S. lobbyists to repair reputation tarnished by drug and forgery allegations

PEOPLES GAZETTE

An aide said the Nigerian leader engaged PR firms after evaluating the impact widespread coverage of his narcotics and diploma mess had on his prestige before his foreign peers.

President Bola Tinubu has hired lobbyists in the United States to help convince lawmakers and policymakers that he carries acceptable personal probity to lead Nigeria, Peoples Gazette can report, after suffering a reputational hit that followed reports of his involvement in illicit drug peddling and certificate fraud. 

Mr Tinubu engaged public relations experts, including David Spaulding of Lenape Legal, based in a sleepy Philadelphia suburb, to help his administration navigate Washington’s concerns about his unsavoury public profile, The Gazette learned via documents and sources familiar.

The Nigerian leader deemed the hirings necessary after evaluating the impact widespread coverage of his narcotics and certificate saga had on his prestige before his foreign counterparts, a senior administration official said under anonymity to discuss the president’s key vulnerability. Mr Spaulding’s firm indicated it started work in April 2024, a few months after Nigerians’ interest in the scandal peaked and the Supreme Court said it was insufficient to truncate Mr Tinubu’s nascent tenure…