By Ade Adesomoju
The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of
Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu , has engaged a new
American lobbying firm to help the group win the
support of the U.S. government.

The one-year deal is slated to run for 12 months
and is costing Mr Kanu and IPOB $750,000, which
is over N300million at the current official exchange
rate of N410 to one U.S. dollar.

PREMIUM TIMES is in possession of the contract
papers which Mr Kanu signed with the BW Global
Group (BWGG LLC, in February.

The firm, co-owned by Jeffrey Birrel and Alan White,
is registered in Washington D.C, the U.S. capital,
which has a high concentration of top government
officials, lawmakers, policymakers, and opinion
leaders, who IPOB is trying to engage on the
rightfulness and necessity of its cause.

The agreement, which took effect from March 1,
2021, came months after an earlier one struck by
Mr Kanu with another U.S.-based lobbying entity,
Mercury Public Affairs LLC, expired.

Under the old contract, IPOB, through Mr Kanu, paid
$85,000 per month beginning September 23, 2019,
in addition to a $5,000 one-time compliance fee.

That means Mr Kanu paid $1,025,000 for the 12-
month contract, which is approximately
N400million, based on the prevailing official
exchange rate at the time (N380 to a dollar).

In June last year, the Nigerian government fumed at
the deal, which it claimed was aimed at discrediting
the country in the U.S. and Europe.

PREMIUM TIMES got the details of both the old and
new deals from the contractors’ registration
statements and agreements filed at the Foreign
Agents Registration Unit 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,” FARA says in one of the
documents reviewed by this reporter.

The services Nnamdi Kanu wants

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

The filings by BW Global Group (BWGG) after
negotiations were concluded 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 include engaging the U.S.

government, Congress and the Department of State,
(the equivalent of Foreign Affairs Ministries in
Nigeria and other countries) and engaging
policymakers on behalf of IPOB.

“The registrant (BWGG) expects to advocate on
behalf of IPOB within the US Government (including
the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of
State) and otherwise engage policymakers and
opinion leaders,” a part of the registration statement
marked Exhibit B, read.

The agreement, signed on February 24, 2021, by Mr
Kanu, another representative of IPOB, Rita Eze, and
a co-owner of BWGG, Mr White, 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 reads 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 as the expired
contract executed by Mercury Public Affairs, LLC.
Under that agreement, Mercury provided “strategic
consulting and management services specific to
issues facing the client in the areas of government
relations and issues management.”

The payment mode

BWGG is expected to provide the agreed services
under the new agreement to IPOB for a period of
one year from March 1, 2021, through February 28,
2022.

The firm is to receive its payment for “professional
services” of $750,000 in 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
instalments 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.”

Nnamdi Kanu and the separatist campaign

Mr Kanu, a British and Nigerian national, has a
relatively strong footing in the U.K.

His engaging lobbyists to win the support of the
U.S. appear to be part of a broader move to win
the buy-in of western powers in the separatist
cause of IPOB.

IPOB, known for its agitation for an independent
Republic of Biafra, has had a series of violent
confrontations with Nigeria’s security agencies.
Weeks of deadly encounters between the group’s
members and soldiers culminated in a military
invasion of Mr Kanu’s home in Afara-Ukwu, near
Umuahia, the Abia State capital, in September 2017.

Mr Kanu, who wants the Igbo-speaking states in
Nigeria’s South-east carved out of Nigeria, fled the
country in the wake of the military invasion.

Following that encounter with IPOB militants, the
Nigerian government obtained a court order on
September 20, 2017, to designate the organisation
a terrorist group and to proscribe it.

But the British government has yet to recognise
IPOB as a terrorist group. There is even suspicion
by some officials of the Nigerian government that
Britain facilitated Mr Kanu’s return to the U.K after
he escaped the military invasion of his home.

PREMIUM TIMES has yet to independently verify
that claim.

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 protection he and other IPOB members appear
to be getting from the British government.

Since fleeing Nigeria, Mr Kanu continues to engage
IPOB members through his social media channels,
with the government often attributing escalating
violence in the Southeast region to IPOB.

Many local and international human rights
organisations have also condemned years of
military attacks on the group that started as a
peaceful organisation pursuing the rights of its
members to self-determination.


Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB),
Nnamdi Kanu. [Photo credit: Daily Times Nigeria]

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/463466-exclusive-ipob-hires-another-lobbying-firm-in-fresh-n300m-deal.html

Omo this is no longer a joke Ooo

Mugu

Kanu is a smart man maybe smarter than the government. If kanu get the support of US government which I'm sure he will eventually get because of the style of buhari administration, then Nigeria disintegration is near. Earlier the government wake up to negotiate with these guys better for us all.

[s]

Saao:
Kanu is a smart man maybe smarter than the government. If kanu get the support of US government which I'm sure he will eventually get because of the style of buhari administration, then Nigeria disintegration is near. Earlier the government wake up to negotiate with these guys better for us all.

[/s]

Biafra is coming even the almajiris can't stop it

From premium time?

And some people are accusing him of eating IPOB money. Efulefu you see how the money is spent.

Nansense

Nnamdi Kanu leads others follow! God bless MNK!

Lol. Another cashout opportunity. You told your gullible followers to suppory trump. Now you wabt biden to support you.

Trump that the supported and matched for could not support them. These fools should ask kanu what happened to the first deal.

Kanu chopping gullible igbo donations since 1855

Well he knows what he is doing. Happy Cashout


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jBToOT6TQ

MNK the smartest man ever

This guy is smart

Unfortunately for Nigeria , the president is a dullard and clueness

mrvitalis:

Act how ...give referendum u say act ...act what

Who will give you the referendum? Is referendum a kind of wrapper or cake? Please can you explain how it works?

Ready

Will Nigeria be compelled by US? Base on what?

Ipob miscreants, do you really have head to think

CilicMarin:


Foolishness!

Abooki Kura, how much did your zoo government spend in training repented boko haram terrorist and how much ransom was paid to fulani kidnappers by your useless government

Buhari and his fulani ethnicity are disasters to Nigerian people

Naira don finish kpatakpata. Ordinary 750000 dollars na im dey run for hundreds of millions of naira? BTW so no be Kanu dey personally chop the money as some people dey accuse am?

Your darling mennaquine will be forced to. Ask Sudan

CilicMarin:


Who will give you the referendum? Is referendum a kind of wrapper or cake? Please can you explain how it works?

In the world of trading they say. "small profit is profit" in the world for this struggle "small progress is progress"

I thought they claimed that IPOB is a broke group and that they lack any plan to actualize their Biafra except making noice online??

So they can cough out close to a million dollars just to lobby an American group to influence White House and they've been spending millions of dollars before now

You zoo desperados can continue decieving yourselves but from the look of things, IPOB is doing serious underground works toward making their "online country" a reality.

Like play, like play you will see UN, USA and UK demanding for referendum and let me see the idiotic president that will say no

tungamaje:
Naira don finish kpatakpata. Ordinary 750000 dollars na im dey run for hundreds of millions of naira? BTW so no be Kanu dey personally chop the money as some people dey accuse am?

Lol. You underate the scammer. Make he show u receipt. The white lady he said was representing them in senate was sued by an igbo man and she could not afford a lawyer. She had to apologise on the pages of the news papers.

mekaboy:
Lol. Another cashout opportunity. You told your gullible followers to suppory trump. Now you wabt biden to support you.

Trump that the supported and matched for could not support them. These fools should ask kanu what happened to the first deal.

Kanu chopping gullible igbo donations since 1855

Well he knows what he is doing. Happy Cashout

Normally, you would have opened about 10 threads to say this. What has changed?

CilicMarin:


Who will give you the referendum? Is referendum a kind of wrapper or cake? Please can you explain how it works?

The same people u are calling to act

waste of resources

CilicMarin:


Foolishness!

Your tears are so delicious, so go ahead and cry us a river