BIAFRA NEWS : IPOB's Nnamdi Kanu Hires Another U.S Lobbyist in N300 Million Deal

 

The deal appears to be part of Mr Kanu's quiet but broad efforts to win the support of U.S. government, congress, policymakers, and opinion leaders for IPOB.

The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has engaged new American lobbyists in a bid to secure the support of the U.S. for the separatist group.

If the deal runs for 12 months as agreed, it will cost Mr Kanu $750,000, which is over N300 million at the current official exchange rate.

PREMIUM TIMES on Monday obtained the details of the one-year deal which Mr Kanu signed with the BW Global Group (BWGG), LLC, earlier in February.

The firm, co-owned by Jeffrey Birrel and Alan White, is registered in Washington D.C, the U.S. capital city, which parades top government officials, lawmakers, policymakers, and opinion leaders, who are the targets of the deal.

The agreement, which took effect from March 1, came months after an earlier one struck by Mr Kanu with another U.S.-based lobbyist, Mercury Public Affairs, LLC, expired in September last year.

Under the old contract agreement, Mr Kanu was to pay $85,000 per month from September 23, 2019 to September 22, 2020, with $5,000 one-time compliance fee.

This implies that a full execution of the contract for 12 months, as it was agreed to run, would have cost Mr Kanu a total of $1,025,000, which is close to N400 million at the prevailing official exchange rate at the time.

In June last year, the Nigerian government fumed about the old deal which has now been replaced by the new one. The use of paid lobbyists to get the support of the U.S. government and its organs is legal in the country.

PREMIUM TIMES got the details of both the old and new IPOB deals from the contractors' registration statements and agreements filed at the Foreign Agents Registration of the U.S Department of Justice.

The registration, mandatory under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 and for "public disclosure", entails filing documents including, completed predesigned forms marked Exhibits A and B, and the agreements stipulating the full details of the contract.

Failure to provide this information is subject to the penalty and enforcement provisions established in Section 8 of the Act, it was stated on the documents.Services

The terms of the successive contracts with strict focus on the U.S appear to be part of Mr Kanu's quiet but broad efforts to win the support of U.S. government, Congress, policymakers, and opinion leaders for IPOB.

The filings by BW Global Group (BWGG) after the deal was hatched in February show that the firm was engaged by Mr Kanu to undertake "political activities" in the U.S. on behalf of IPOB.

The activities including engaging the U.S. government, the Congress, the Department of State, the equivalent of foreign affairs minister in other countries, and engaging policy makers on behalf of IPOB.

"The registrant (BWGG) expects to advocate on behalf of the IPOB within the US Government (including the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of State) and otherwise engage policy makers and opinion leaders," part of the registration statement marked Exhibit B reads.

The agreement signed on February 24 by Mr Kanu; a representative of IPOB, Rita Eze, and a co-owner of BWGG provides further details of what the job entails.

"BWGG shall provide the IPOB with services relating to the promotion of human rights and democracy and shall otherwise act as an advocate for the indigenous people of Biafra," the document read in part.

It added that BWGG "may also undertake other similar services that might be referred to BWGG from the IPOB from time-to-time by mutual agreement."

The deal has the same scope with the old one executed by Mercury Public Affairs, LLC

Under the old agreement which expired in September last year, the consultant was engaged to "provide strategic consulting and management services specific to issues facing the client in the areas of government relations and issues management."

Mode of payment

BWGG is expected to provide the agreed services under the new agreement to IPOB for a period of one year from March 1 through February 28, 2022.

The firm is to receive its payment for "professional services" of $750,000 based on monthly instalments.

But $100,000 is to be paid at the signing of the agreement covering the first two months - March and April 2021 - "leaving a balance of $650,000".

The balance of $650,000 "will be paid in monthly installments of $65,000 USD per month commencing on May 1,2021 and paid successively on the 1st of each month until the total fee of $750,000 USD has been paid to BWGG by the client."

"Payment to BWG shall be by bank wire or bank draft," the document added.

The firm, under the agreement "will provide monthly status reports as deliverables regarding the progress and status of the project."

IPOB

Mr Kanu, a British and Nigerian citizen, is engaging lobbyists to help in winning U.S support to overshadow bad publicity by many Nigerians and the Nigerian government.

His IPOB is known for its agitation for an independent Republic of Biafra, which has led to series of violent confrontation between its members and security agencies.

Mr Kanu wants an independent Republic of Biafra made up of Igbo-speaking people largely in the South-east part of Nigeri. He fled Nigeria in 2017 while enjoying the bail granted him during his treasonable felony trial.

He fled after the 2017 invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, Abia State, by security forces, following a clampdown on IPOB members by soldiers in the South-east region.

The Nigerian government, in the wake of the violence, on September 20, 2017, obtained a court order designating IPOB a terrorist group and proscribing it.

But despite that, the UK government granted asylum to Mr Kanu.

With the charges of treasonable felony still pending against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Nigerian government has repeatedly fumed about the asylum granted him by the UK government.

Since leaving the country, Mr Kanu has continued to engage IPOB members through his social media channels, with government often attributing escalating violence in the South-east region to the group.

The group has been blamed for recent attacks on police officers and facilities as well as other public infrastructure in the South-south and South-east regions. Dozens of police officers have been killed in the past two months in such attacks.

IPOB has, however, denied responsibility for the attacks.