Alleged Smear Campaign: Stakeholders Accuse US Mission of Undermining Nigeria

By Louis Achi

The bilateral goodwill between Nigeria and the United States of America appears headed for a nose dive as fresh diplomatic ripples scaled up, trailing US Mission’s expressed concerns over the spending habits of some Nigerian state governors, accusing them of extravagance and poor management of public funds.

But some stakeholders have accused the US Mission in Nigeria of orchestrating a “relentless smear campaign” against the country, violating diplomatic norms.

The allegations stem from the U.S. Mission’s circulation of a report by The Africa Report, a Paris-based publication, which claimed Nigerian political elites were “splurging state resources on buildings while citizens went hungry.”

The report singled out Oyo and Gombe states for constructing new government houses, painting the projects as symbols of excess. But government insiders insist The Africa Report got it wrong, and suggest darker motives.

“The governors they targeted are two of the country’s most prudent leaders,” Dr. Ibrahim Jibril, an Abuja based political analyst and diplomatic consultant told THISDAY.

His words, “Governor Seyi Makinde in Oyo has been repeatedly recognised for performance and fiscal discipline, while Gombe’s Governor Inuwa Yahaya has managed state finances meticulously, ensuring salaries are paid, hospitals are built, and livelihoods are improving. “These are hardly the faces of mismanagement.”

Beyond the publication, some officials in government who don’t to be named on account of possible backlash from the U.S. Mission insist the US has crossed a line. “This behaviour violates Article 41(1) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” one senior diplomat noted, adding: “Diplomats have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of their host country. What we are seeing is the opposite.”

The latest row follows a string of flashpoints in US–Nigeria relations. Government officials recalled that Washington once predicted — incorrectly — that Nigeria would “disintegrate by the year 2000.”

They also point to a July 15, 2025 U.S. State Department travel advisory warning Americans to avoid 18 Nigerian states because of terrorism, kidnappings and poor healthcare.

Nigerian analysts described that advisory as “alarmist and context-free,” arguing it unfairly painted the entire country as unsafe while ignoring thriving urban centres like Lagos and Abuja. “Roughly 47,000 Americans are projected to die from gun violence in the U.S. this year,” one analyst observed.

“Yet the U.S. issues sweeping warnings about Nigeria without acknowledging that many of our regions are safer than high-crime American cities. It’s a distorted mirror.”

Despite the frustration, officials stressed Nigeria still values its longstanding partnership with Washington. “We appreciate decades of U.S. support,” a senior aide said. “But this relationship cannot come at the cost of Nigeria’s sovereignty or our dignity.”

With tensions simmering, Abuja’s message to the U.S. Mission was clear: stop spreading “jaundiced narratives” and respect the diplomatic ground rules — or risk further straining ties with Africa’s largest democracy.