Spending $9million on image laundering insensitive, deceptive, PDP blasts FG
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has lampooned the Federal Government for spending a sum of Nine Million United States Dollars ($9m) to launder it’s image, describing such as insensitive, defective and deceptive.
The party bemoaned the Nigerian Government for engaging Aster Legal, contracted the services of DCI Group (a Public Affairs and lobbying firm) in the United States to “assist the Nigerian government in communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities…”
This contract, according to the PDP, is to last for six months and thereafter be automatically renewed for another six months.
The party through its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong said the revelation is as disturbing as it is shameful that a government with a full Ministry of Information and a litany of media aides will be paying a foreign firm to launder its image.
“This is a clear indication that the President does not have confidence in the Ministry of Information and his media aides, whereas the Ministry of Information is manned by a seasoned professionals led by a Public Relations expert-who has in the last few years exhibited maturity and responsibility in the management of government information.
“Furthermore, we seek clarification from the presidency on the following:Was this contract budgeted for in the 2025 budget?, Why was it done through a private law firm and not the Federal Ministry of Justice?, What are the duties of the Information and Public Relations officers in the diplomatic missions abroad? and What are the Key Performance Indicators for this contract?”
Additionally, the PDP reminded the APC-led federal government that no lobbying or strategic communication firm can create narratives that will replace the lived experiences of the people, in contemporary times, where the world is a global village.
“If the Tinubu administration is desirous of changing the perception of the country abroad, it should invest more in the security of lives and property, not in deceptive communication. The undeniable truth is that Nigerians have not felt this insecure, even during the civil war.
“The President should be more interested in ensuring that all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, are safe and free to worship God in their chosen way, and that mass killings are reduced to the barest minimum.
“When these feats are achieved, Nigerians will reflect safety, and that will concomitantly dictate the global perception of Nigerians,” the statement added.
The party call Ed on the President Tinubu to reduce his administration’s appetite for “easy public validation through ephemeral optics and rather concentrate on the hard task of providing sustainable solutions to the nation’s primary challenge – insecurity.”
