A United States-based advocacy and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., has raised questions over the proposed Nigeria-US minerals agreement expected to be signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The firm warned that the timing of the proposed agreement could create questions about the integrity of the Donald Trump administration and the United States, particularly amid an ongoing US legal battle over the release of Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration records relating to President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement posted on X, the firm said its objection was not to closer cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in the mining sector, but to the circumstances surrounding the proposed signing while the dispute over the US law-enforcement records remains unresolved.
The proposed agreement is reportedly intended to deepen cooperation between both countries in the exploration, mining, processing, value addition and refining of critical minerals.
However, Von Batten-Montague-York alleged that individuals associated with the Nigerian Presidency had privately claimed that the Americans had been “settled” and that the FBI and DEA records concerning Tinubu would not be released.
The firm, however, acknowledged that it had not independently verified the alleged statements, and did not present them as established facts.
It also linked its concerns to reports of a possible meeting between Tinubu and Trump during the UN General Assembly, arguing that the simultaneous timing of diplomatic engagement, a minerals agreement and the unresolved records dispute could create an appearance problem.
The firm further referred to an earlier allegation that its founder, Karl Von Batten, was offered $3 million by an individual it was told was connected to Tinubu. It said, however, that it had no evidence linking the alleged offer to the proposed minerals agreement.
Von Batten-Montague-York said any economic agreement between Washington and Abuja should advance US interests and should not create the impression that economic concessions were connected to access to Trump or the handling of US law-enforcement records.
Nigerians Demand Transparency
The controversy has also triggered reactions in Nigeria, with critics questioning the terms of the proposed minerals agreement and what the country stands to gain from greater US involvement in its mining sector.
Some Nigerians on social media accused the Tinubu administration of putting political interests ahead of the national interest, with one critic alleging that the government was “signing off Nigeria’s resources” to protect the President over the records controversy.
The allegation remains a political claim and has not been established as fact.
The reactions have nevertheless intensified calls for the Federal Government to publish the terms of any agreement reached with the United States, particularly provisions concerning ownership, concessions, investment, revenue sharing, processing and the protection of Nigeria’s strategic mineral resources.
The proposed deal comes as the Federal Government seeks greater foreign investment in Nigeria’s mining industry and positions critical minerals as an important component of the country’s economic diversification strategy.
For the agreement to command public confidence, however, transparency over its terms and the economic benefits to Nigeria could prove as important as the diplomatic significance of the proposed US partnership.
The Time’s/Thisdawn/Business Times Nigeria/Starnews
