$700bn Nigeria-US Mining Deal: US Lobby Firm Files FOIA Request For Details

A United States-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, says it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain full details of the $700 billion mining deal signed between Nigeria and the United States.

The firm disclosed this in a post on its verified X handle on Thursday.

It said the action followed President Bola Tinubu’s alleged refusal to disclose details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to Nigerians.

According to the firm, it decided to act after hearing Nigerians demanding transparency over the MoU signed by the Nigerian Presidency and the United States.

“The Tinubu administration has signed many deals with Europe and borrowed billions of dollars, yet Nigerians are kept in the dark,” the firm stated.

“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.”

Von Batten-Montague-York said it filed the FOIA request with the US State Department on Thursday morning, requesting the signed mining MoU and all records relating to how it was negotiated.

“Nigerians want to know what was signed in their names regarding their God-given natural resources,” it added.

The firm noted that Americans also have an interest in knowing what was agreed and what protections exist for affected communities, promising to publish the documents once received.

“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 said.

The Presidency is yet to react to the FOIA filing.