By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Times ReportersTimes Reporters
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Economy
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • About Us
  • Bookmarks
Search
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
© 2024 Times Reporters | All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Trump’s victory in the US opens a new space for Nigerian power broker Lai Mohammed
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
ACOE Elects New Executive Team, Charged to Lead with Excellence in the Industry
Media News
Technovation girls urged to shape Nigeria’s future through STEM
Education Metro News
Abuja schools debate returns, focuses on youth, security, national development
Education News
Cardoso Named African Banker Central Bank Governor of the Year
Awards and Recognitions Business Metro News
Seplat Energy is Redefining Nigeria’s Energy Destiny – Roger Brown, CEO
Business News Oil & Gas
Aa
Times ReportersTimes Reporters
Aa
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • About Us
Search
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • About Us
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
© 2024 Times Reporters | All Rights Reserved.
Times Reporters > News > Foreign > Trump’s victory in the US opens a new space for Nigerian power broker Lai Mohammed
ForeignNewsPolitics

Trump’s victory in the US opens a new space for Nigerian power broker Lai Mohammed

Publisher
By Publisher Published November 30, 2024
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

By Eniola Akinkuotu, in Abuja

With Trump in the White House, Ballard Partners is expected to be one of the most influential lobbying firms in the world. Its Africa office, headed by the former Information Minister and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (CON), will ensure the continent is not left out. When American lobbying firm Ballard Partners announced in June 2023 that it was setting up shop in Africa with former Nigerian information minister Lai Mohammed as its managing partner, not many in Nigeria’s political space understood the full implication. But with US President-elect Donald Trump returning as the world’s most powerful politician, the picture is becoming clearer among those within Africa’s corridors of power.

“My phones have been ringing non-stop,” Mohammed tells The Africa Report, adding: “We (Ballard Partners) are number one in Africa and we have what it takes to make things happen”. The Ballard effect
With Trump in the White House, Ballard Partners is expected to be one of the most influential lobbying firms in the world, with US online media Politico reporting that Brian Ballard, the founder of the organisation, is the closest lobbyist to Trump. This seems to be reflected in Trump’s latest picks for his cabinet.

- Advertisement -
Ad image

Susan Wiles, the incoming chief of staff to Trump, is an alumnus of Ballard Partners where she worked for eight years, helping to expand the company’s reach in and outside the US.
Trump’s incoming attorney general, Pam Bondi, is also a partner with the firm that is headquartered in Florida, a state which Trump has transformed into a new political powerhouse.

with many appointments including proposed National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ballard is not left outside the sphere of influence, having led fundraisers for Trump in three consecutive elections.

Nigeria has been a battleground for American lobbying firms in recent years, especially during election season.

Nigeria’s former president Goodluck Jonathan of the Nigeria’s People Democratic Party (PDP) was running for a second term in 2015. He signed a contract with lobbying firm Levick, based in Washington DC, for a deal reportedly worth $1.2m as the administration sought to polish its image amid the Boko Haram insurgency that had led to the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign, according to Quartz.

The main opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), and its presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari employed the services of Chicago-based AKPD lobbying firm owned by David Axelrod, a chief strategist for then-president Barack Obama.

Jonathan accused Obama of supporting Buhari, who eventually won the 2015 presidential election.

In 2019, Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the main opposition PDP, hired Ballard Partners for a fee of $90,000 per month, according to company filings. Atiku, a former vice president, had been barred from the US for over a decade due to two corruption cases hanging over his head. First, his name had come up in a $500,000 bribe investigation involving former US congressman William Jefferson. Second, one of Atiku’s wives was accused of transferring $40m into the US through shell companies on his behalf.

The inability of the former vice president to visit the US became a major talking point in the 2019 campaign. However, barely four weeks before the Nigerian election, the US granted Atiku temporary entry into the US thanks to the efforts of his lobbyists.

Reuters quoted several US government officials as saying the travel ban was waived temporarily by the State Department after his lobbyists mounted a campaign among congressional lawmakers arguing that the administration should not snub a leading contender in Nigeria’s presidential election.

Sources close to Atiku tell The Africa Report that Ballard Partners was specifically hired because of its ties to the Trump administration. This is likely to become a recurring theme in Nigeria.

The Lai Mohammed connection

Mohammed, who now heads Ballard in Nigeria, is no stranger in the corridors of power. Mohammed served as chief of staff to Bola Tinubu when the latter was governor of Lagos in the early 2000s. Tinubu also made Mohammed the spokesperson for the opposition, a position he held for more than seven years and brought him nationwide fame and notoriety.

After the opposition took over in 2015, Mohammed was named information minister and he was the face of the Buhari administration for eight years until 2023.
Although he is no longer in Tinubu’s kitchen cabinet, the incoming Trump administration and his connections to Ballard have strategically placed Mohammed back into political reckoning.

Culled from the Africareport.com

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

You Might Also Like

ACOE Elects New Executive Team, Charged to Lead with Excellence in the Industry

Technovation girls urged to shape Nigeria’s future through STEM

Abuja schools debate returns, focuses on youth, security, national development

Cardoso Named African Banker Central Bank Governor of the Year

Seplat Energy is Redefining Nigeria’s Energy Destiny – Roger Brown, CEO

TAGGED: Donald Trump, Lai Mohammed

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Publisher November 30, 2024
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Email Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Anambra urban village seeks govt attention over poor condition of roads
Next Article NIMC to Roll Out e-ID Card with Payment, Social Security Features in Q1 2025
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Instagram Follow
Youtube Subscribe
Telegram Follow

– Member of –

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Latest News

ACOE Elects New Executive Team, Charged to Lead with Excellence in the Industry
Media News May 31, 2025
Technovation girls urged to shape Nigeria’s future through STEM
Education Metro News May 30, 2025
Abuja schools debate returns, focuses on youth, security, national development
Education News May 30, 2025
Cardoso Named African Banker Central Bank Governor of the Year
Awards and Recognitions Business Metro News May 30, 2025

You Might also Like

MediaNews

ACOE Elects New Executive Team, Charged to Lead with Excellence in the Industry

May 31, 2025
EducationMetroNews

Technovation girls urged to shape Nigeria’s future through STEM

May 30, 2025
EducationNews

Abuja schools debate returns, focuses on youth, security, national development

May 30, 2025
Awards and RecognitionsBusinessMetroNews

Cardoso Named African Banker Central Bank Governor of the Year

May 30, 2025
Times ReportersTimes Reporters
Follow US

© 2024 Times Reporters | Deigned by AuspiceWeb Graphics. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news!

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?
%d