More than 10 million dollars spent by the camps of President Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on lobbying activities in the United States could have supported thousands of small businesses in Nigeria.

Documents filed under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act show that the two lobbying engagements are worth about 10.2 million dollars, equivalent to roughly 14.3 billion naira at an exchange rate of 1,400 naira to the dollar.

The amount could theoretically provide 250,000-naira funding packages to about 56,000 micro and small businesses.

The Federal Government’s engagement with Washington-based DCI Group began in December 2025, with the firm retained to communicate Nigeria’s policies to US lawmakers and support the country’s counter-terrorism efforts. The six-month contract was valued at 4.5 million dollars, with an option that could raise the total to nine million dollars.

Meanwhile, Atiku engaged another US lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, under a 1.2-million-dollar, 12-month agreement. The firm was tasked with improving his access to US policymakers and countering narratives associated with the Nigerian government.

The combined spending has sparked debate over whether such funds could have produced greater impact if invested in areas such as small businesses, education, healthcare and infrastructure.

An economic expert questioned the spending, arguing that Nigeria faces pressing domestic needs and that political disputes should not unnecessarily be taken abroad.

However, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the key issue is opportunity cost. He argued that public spending on lobbying should be justified by clear, measurable benefits, particularly when millions of Nigerians are struggling with unemployment, poor infrastructure and inadequate public services.

The report noted that the comparison is not a direct claim that 14 billion naira would automatically create 56,000 sustainable businesses. Rather, it highlights what could potentially be achieved if the same resources were directed toward domestic economic needs.