*** Says Nigerians Should Know What Was Signed With Their Minerals
***Presidency Silent as Lobby Group Demands Full MoU, Negotiation Records from State Department
By Okechukwu Eze, Abuja
A major scandal is brewing over the $700 billion Nigeria-US critical minerals agreement as a United States-based lobbying firm has filed a Freedom of Information Act request in Washington to force full disclosure of the deal.
The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, announced on Thursday that it filed the FOIA with the US State Department, demanding the signed Memorandum of Understanding and all records relating to how it was negotiated.
The action, the firm said, followed the refusal of President Bola Tinubu to make public the details of the MoU signed between Nigeria and America, despite growing public outcry for transparency.
In a fiery statement on its verified X handle, the firm said: “We have heard the voices of Nigerians demanding transparency over the MoU signed by the Nigerian Presidency and the United States.”
It accused the Tinubu administration of signing multiple deals with Europe and borrowing billions of dollars while keeping Nigerians in the dark.
“This time around, he is not dealing with Europe, and we are not in Nigeria. We are in the United States, a country where the rule of law still exists,” the firm declared.
According to Von Batten-Montague-York, Nigerians have a right to know “what was signed in their names regarding their God-given natural resources.”
The firm added that Americans also deserve to know what was agreed and what protections exist for host communities in Nigeria, vowing to publish the documents once released by the State Department.
“We fully support the United States’ push to secure access to critical minerals, but we strongly believe that the United States must not become like China while trying to outcompete China,” it stated.
As of press time, the Presidency had not reacted to the development.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government signed a non-binding framework agreement with the US in September in New York to attract investment into Nigeria’s mining sector covering geological data, exploration, processing and infrastructure. The $700 billion figure represents Nigeria’s estimated mineral endowment, not the deal size.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow The Eagle Times Nigeria on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
