Presidency hired Washington PR Firm for $1.2m? Oby Ezekwesili slams firm on Twitter | Welcome to Linda Ikeji's Blog

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Thursday 17 July 2014

Presidency hired Washington PR Firm for $1.2m? Oby Ezekwesili slams firm on Twitter

A Washington DC-based PR Firm named Levick today sent out a statement to the Nigerian media on the meeting with the Chibok parents and girls. It's now being reported that the PR firm was hired by persons within the Nigerian government and allegedly paid $1.2million to help fix the government’s lagging reputation in the aftermath of the Chibok crisis.

#Bringbackourgirls convener Oby Ezekwili took to twitter this morning to angrily slam the PR Firm which she says was hired by the presidency to deceive and alternate the truth for Nigerians. See more tweets, the report on the new PR contract and the statement Levick released after the cut...





Statement regarding the cancellation of meeting with parents of abducted Chibok children and five escapees.. (supposedly sent out by Levick)
“It now appears that our fight to get the girls of Chibok back is not only a fight against a terrorist insurgency, but also against a political opposition.
“It is with great regret that I announce the cancellation of the meeting with 12 parents of the abducted Chibock children, as well as five of the brave girls who escaped from the terrorist organization Boko Haram. I scheduled this meeting, which was to be open to the media for coverage by Nigerian and international press, to listen to their stories and to privately brief the parents and the girls on our efforts to rescue the abducted girls.
“My priority is not politics. My priority is the return of these girls.
“Unfortunately, political forces within the Nigerian chapter of Bring Back Our Girls have decided to take this opportunity to play politics with the situation and the grief of the parents and the girls. They should be ashamed of their actions.
“Those who would manipulate the victims of terrorism for their own benefit, are engaging in a similar kind of evil: psychological terrorism.
“I want to be clear, this government stands with complete solidarity with the girls and their parents. We are doing everything in our power to bring back our girls. Despite the shameful and disgusting games being played by the Nigerian chapter of Bring Back Our Girls, as a father of girls, I stand ready to meet with the parents of our abducted children and the truly brave girls that have escaped this nightmare through the grace of God.”
And here's the report from snddenjpic.org that Levick has taken president Jonathan on as a client..

Washington PR Firm Inks $1.2 Million Deal, Immediately Places Nigerian President’s Op-Ed In Washington Post
In an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Friday, Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan pushed back on criticisms that his efforts to find more than 200 missing schoolgirls has been ineffective. This plum placement comes, however, just days after signing a lucrative contract with a Washington PR firm to help fix the Jonathan government’s lagging reputation in the aftermath of the crisis.
“I have had to remain quiet about the continuing efforts by Nigeria’s military, police and investigators to find the girls kidnapped in April from the town of Chibok by the terrorist group Boko Haram,” Jonathan wrote in his op-ed. “I am deeply concerned, however, that my silence as we work to accomplish the task at hand is being misused by partisan critics to suggest inaction or even weakness. My silence has been necessary to avoid compromising the details of our investigation. But let me state this unequivocally: My government and our security and intelligence services have spared no resources, have not stopped and will not stop until the girls are returned home and the thugs who took them are brought to justice.”
Those critiques, as the government has so far been stumbling in its fight against Boko Haram, have been admittedly harsh at times. So harsh, in fact, that the Nigerian government has turned to outside help to shore up its international reputation. According to documents filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and as first reported at The Hill, Nigeria has hired the Washington, DC public relations firm Levick to promote its image abroad and in Nigeria. Eleanor McManus, who will be working on the Nigerian case for Levick, confirmed to ThinkProgress that her firm did place today’s op-ed from Jonathan in the Washington Post.
Technically, the contract is between Levick and the News Agency of Nigeria, the country’s state-run news agency. Per the FARA documents, Levick began charging the Nigerian government at the rate of $100,000 per month over the course of the next year for its services starting on June 16. According to the contract between the firm and Nigeria, Levick will provide “government affairs and communications counsel with the primary objective of changing the international and local media narrative” on a number of issues. These include, as quoted from the contract:
The Government of Nigeria’s efforts to find and safely return the more than 200 girls abducted by the terrorist organization, Boko Haram, in the Borno State of Nigeria
Assisting the Government’s efforts to mobilize international support in fighting Boko Haram as part of the greater global war on terror.
Communicating the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration’s past, present and future priority to foster transparency, democracy, and the rule of law throughout Nigeria.
“A more comprehensive approach, using vehicles, such as public diplomacy and engaging outside experts to enact real changes, is how the advocacy industry is evolving,” Phil Elwood, a vice president at Levick, told The Hill. “A communications strategy alone is not enough to solve the complex and multifaceted problems facing some of the more controversial nations.”
In addition, Nigeria is also engaging Perseus Strategies, a law firm centered around the promotion of human rights, as a subcontract of its work with Levick to the tune of an additional $25,000 per month. Jared Genser, the lawyer at the heart of Perseus, has previously had such clients as Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and currently represents Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo. This is in contrast to some of the past associations of Levick vice president Lanny Davis, who will be working on the Nigerian case along with several others, who made a name for himself around Washington for representing more repressive governments, including Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang and for a period Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo.
The use of PR firms to place op-eds and other commentary from world leaders is not a rarity. Last year, the New York Times published a controversial op-ed from Russian president Vladimir Putin critiquing U.S. foreign policy and the threat of military action against Syria. As Buzzfeed reported, public relations firm Ketchum was behind the placement of the piece, as part of its broader contract with the Russian government. McManus, when speaking with ThinkProgress, would not confirm whether the Washington Post was the first outlet contacted for Jonathan’s op-ed.
As for the effect that the new PR blitz will actually have on changing the narrative, Africa hands are skeptical. Political parties in Nigeria have previously hired foreign firms to help manage their reputation in the past, both from Jonathan’s PDP and the opposition APC. But the timing is really suspect, one development professional recently returned from Nigeria told ThinkProgress, due to Wednesday’s explosion in a well-off neighborhood in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, that most observers believe Boko Haram perpetrated. “It’s just a really inopportune time, hiring a PR firm while Abuja is literally burning,” she said.
Laura Seay, an assistant professor at Colby College, also pointed to the Abuja explosion as a reason that the timing of Levick’s hiring and the Washington Post op-ed is problematic. “I don’t think any efforts that Jonathan makes in Nigeria will be effective unless there’s a significant change,” she said. The audience for Levick’s efforts aren’t Nigerians, she said, saying that “people on the ground are going to look at [Jonathan's op-ed] and laugh, they’re going to not believe it, because it’s not reflective of the reality.”
“I don’t think most Nigerians are going to be very convinced,” Seay continued, noting that the money spent on hiring Levick would be better spent equipping the forces in northern Nigeria combating Boko Haram. In the aftermath of the kidnapping two months ago, soldiers repeatedly told reporters of the lack of morale among the army in the face of the much better armed fighters in Boko Haram. “As one Nigerian told me when I was there, they hire these guys for the army, so they recruit,” the development professional said, “So they have these recruiting drives, then they send the boys up there to northern Nigeria with no bullets. How can you fight against against terrorists who have armored personnel carriers with no bullets?”
As for the declarations of Gesner and Davis that Jonathan has been taken on as a client because he, as Gesner said, “has said clearly to us that he wants results,” there’s also skepticism. “It’s not gonna change a thing,” the development professional said, adding that Nigerians on the ground are very distrustful of the government, especially when it comes to Boko Haram. Such a shift in actions from Jonathan would be a major change, Seay said, one that would certainly be a response to international pressure, particularly the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag. “But Jonathan has allowed this situation to fester for his entire term in office,” she said, noting that he hasn’t taken the concrete steps on the ground that are necessary to fix it.” This, on top of the disparity between how securely Nigerian politicians live compared to the average Nigerian who are targeted in Boko Haram’s attack, causes the idea that reforms are soon coming to “ring hollow,” Seay said.

64 comments:

Unknown said...

I just love this woman.... She's got the boldness.

Bianca Bruno said...

Aint nobody got time to read this epistle.
Linda dnt bring such to our notice again. We don't care.
Its all cheap political propanganda for/against 2015 and frankly I don't give a rat's ass.

Anonymous said...

GEJit will never ever be well with u

Anonymous said...

YES! This IS WHAT IVE BEEN SAYING. JONATHAN NEEDS A GREAT PR TEAM. If this is true, he is WINNING!

CHERRY said...

Seen.

APPLE said...

Oby the he/she SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!! This government appointment that you can't get has turned you to a monster, go look for another job.

BONARIO NNAGS said...

In modern business, you not only fear a crook or an armed robber,you should also be afraid of an innocent man that doesn't know what he is doing.

~BONARIO~says so via NOKIA LUMIA

Anonymous said...

One word for all of this ¤ POLITICS gimmick.

Anonymous said...

Well said...

Unknown said...

a.k.a EDWIN CHINEDU AZUBUKO said...
.
This is really serious and God bless this woman for letting me knw about this...
.
.
***CURRENTLY IN JUPITER***

Occupy nijja said...

Its not the only TRAGIC PRIORITY this administration has there are more e.g
1 Wasting money buying back Spineless APC members.

2 Using Fani kayode , Okupe and Labran and others like them.

3 Appointments based on party loyalty and not deliverability

4 Putting Re - election above development . All federal roads in the south - East and South - South are death traps.

So, Madam Ezekwesili weep not, we know you love your country but some fools will call it taking sides all the same we Love You !

Anonymous said...

people hire PR firms nothing new. i wonder y this woman wouldnt just face her #bringbackourgirls campaign and stop attacking the government. she will soon start sounding like a broken record and people will stop listening to her like the have stopped listening to amaechi. linda post my comment please.

Anonymous said...

she should go and sit down jare , when she was dia what could she offer, charcoal calling kettle black...nkemdirimeverista111@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I Tire For 9ja ooooo. (Linda's Man)

Anonymous said...

This woman! no be by force to get appointment now! Wait for new government! Or u waka go sambisa forest.

ary said...

Whatever, glad the days of Abati and Omokruo making a mess of themselves are over. Maybe now someone can write the president a good speech!

DOBY DOBY said...

Al dis tin is jus for cheap political point. . I feel for dis innocent gals.. God pls help nigeria

Bonita Bislam said...

Am with Ezekwesili 100%.She's got a grit of a true Amazon.Taking after prof Dora,God rest her soul.

Amarachukwu. said...

Madam Oby leave FG alone biko...sit down jare!

Unknown said...

GEJ but why? Don't u understand that we don't want or need u beyond 2015. Abi kilode? ⌣̊┈̥-̶̯͡»̶̥♡thanks ⌣̊┈̥-̶̯͡»̶̥ 

Anonymous said...

Oby can make noise Fᵒʳ all I care! Hiding behind #bringbackourgirls political propaganda to cause more harm dan good.. Nautty woman Wʰᵒ cnt kip her home intact! Ibu onyoshi!!

Anonymous said...

Linda baby you are a nice gal. Please tell this hefemale to go tend her hair which is a woman's crown of glory. Remind her how noisy Dora ended her bravado.

Aby said...

Na wa for this GEJ ooo. But how come this PR company could ask the likes of Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe how to spell "Chibok" instead of writing it in oyinb "chibock"

Please, chibok is not an English word ooo

Anonymous said...

GEJ dnt mind dem jare

Anonymous said...

Very insightful piece. The issue here is that an international organization working for our government spread a lot of lies and the truth is out. Let our government show care and concern for the people that elected them. Terrorism issues should not be cheapened. Its a cancer that must be rooted out. Yesterday one his major supporter Major T Y Danjuma told the president to his face that as the commander in chief he should lead the way to Sambisa forest. The office of the president is a highly exalted position that comes with a lot of responsibility and prestige. But in our country, it's an office the delegates and denies responsibility. Why employ and pay foreigners in a country with high unemployment rate to tell cheap lies? Are they saying Doyin Okupe and Ruben Abati have run out of ideas?

Unknown said...

This isn't news cos it was made official since june 16th and the Nigerian govt also hired an international law firm Perseus Strategies to work with Levick, not sure why she is making an issue from where there is non. It begs the question of what her true motive really is.

Anonymous said...

Oby, what exactly will the govt gain by concealing this? What exactly? Even your so called chibok fathers said they cancelled so what's the deal exactly?? From day one you came out so against this administration, you never came with a solution, the only person who has something to gain here is you.

Unknown said...

I concored....

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much, everyone needs a good PR team, even OBAMa had and still has a bad ass PR team. Good move Mr. President

Mista Short said...

I honestly am starting to think Chibok is really a scam! Girls and women keep escaping from terrorists that trained soldiers can't apprehend....

Mista Short said...

I honestly am starting to think Chibok is really a scam! Girls and women keep escaping from terrorists that trained soldiers can't apprehend....

Anonymous said...

Oby Ezekwesili, you can never be another Margret Ekpo no matter how hard you try to rubbish the finger that feeds u and brought you to limelight. Just because of your greed to stay relevance, you device all means to create awareness. Be very careful cos nemesis will catch up with you. Leave GEJ and his government alone. Of course you have to impress the people that hire you to do so, so i am watching and following you very keenly.

Anonymous said...

The money was wasted because WashPo would have run the oped for free. Imagine. A head of state directly addresses a hot topic in his country that's garnered global attention. That type of commentary would have been accepted by the paper without the involvement of an expensive PR firm.

Anonymous said...

Don't mind the ugly woman,she seriously needs an appointment

Unknown said...

Can't this woman find herself something doing and let GEJ alone. People hire PR firms and nobody calls for their head. When she was there before what could she offer. FG has snubbed her period. She is now working for APC so as to get appointed if they eventually win. All this propaganda and politics is bn arranged by the opposition to discredit GEJ ahead of 2015. But Jona is all ready at Aso rock. APC should forget 2015 and start working on 2019 period. No girls are missing.

Anonymous said...

U keep repeating this grammar Haba improve na.

Anonymous said...

And it shall never be well with you too..'

OSINANL said...


GEJ WILL NEVER GIVE OBY EZEKWEZILI APPOINTMENT.
SHE WANTS TO GET IT BY FORCE...

Anonymous said...

Look at this psycho! Oby really doesn't need government appointment anymore! She's more like an international "body" now. You don't know how much she smiles to the bank with everyday just by showing up at places. She's a true fighter, fighting for the rights of people like me. What if you were related to one of those girls?? It's always good to have someone on your team! (remember that)

Anonymous said...

All you illiterates who comment without reading or knowing the true positions of things.what Levick did isnt PR but evil.there is nothing wrong hiring a PR company but its totally wrong for it to peddle lies.If your kid was one of the chinook girls,would you make such comments and will you be happy with govts response so far?pls search your heart and be true.How many of you have gone thru a 10th of what Borno pple are passing thru.Come to Borno and then tell me if you would be happy with the president

Anonymous said...

All you illiterates who comment without reading or knowing the true positions of things.what Levick did isnt PR but evil.there is nothing wrong hiring a PR company but its totally wrong for it to peddle lies.If your kid was one of the chinook girls,would you make such comments and will you be happy with govts response so far?pls search your heart and be true.How many of you have gone thru a 10th of what Borno pple are passing thru.Come to Borno and then tell me if you would be happy with the president

Anonymous said...

All you illiterates who comment without reading or knowing the true positions of things.what Levick did isnt PR but evil.there is nothing wrong hiring a PR company but its totally wrong for it to peddle lies.If your kid was one of the chinook girls,would you make such comments and will you be happy with govts response so far?pls search your heart and be true.How many of you have gone thru a 10th of what Borno pple are passing thru.Come to Borno and then tell me if you would be happy with the president

exciting lifestyle consult blog said...

Even president Obama has gud PR team cos they knw d importance of gud public image. Madam oby biko leave FG alone! Habaticaly!

Honsylglobal.com : UK Global Online Financial Advisers said...

Every dissenting voice is an enemy. What a Presidency.

@MEETD®EALEVANS™ said...

Oby, the female version of FFK...

Anonymous said...

Oby, shut up.Jealousy.Leave Gej alone and fight Boko Haram.

Anonymous said...

GEJ till 2019...aint nothing u or anybody can do abt that

Anonymous said...

Oby I used to like u before but it's like they don collobi u too. Biko u are pissing people off. And for the records..... NO GIRLS are MISSING. GEJ Abeg ride on. M OUT amyumeh

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm I'm speechless

Anonymous said...

1.2M$ for PR? Are u sure this is not part of the strategy to divert our attention? U really think those kind of deals can leak to the public without them strategically leaking it?

Unknown said...

I am totally awed with the manner this so called emergency activist like Oby Ezekwesilis of this world are going about this unfortunate kidnapping of these innocent Chibok girls. First, it is of no intrinsic political value for the Federal Government to stay akimbo and watch a Nigerian citizen to be annihilated in any circumstance they Chibok girls have found themselves. Also, the insurgents are not just holding on to the girls for the fun of it but also a strategy to use them as human shield should the government decide to aerial bombard the forest with her air force. All these unnecessary pressure on the government would rather not bring back the girls but cause a collateral damage to the rescue mission should the military attack the place without a well strategised plan. Finally, there is nothing wrong to employ a media strategist to counter whatever propaganda your perceive competitor employs in this modern time. So, Oby and her supporters should have a rethink and bring forth constructive criticsm of the government rather than this daily Surudede dance.

Anonymous said...

D devil uo kno is better than d angel uo dnt kno. Pretex4luv@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Too long I can't read all dis jargons

Chi chi said...

I feel sorry for whoever would vote this man come 2015.

What a wasteful government. To think there is no reputable PR company that can help his image in the whole of Nigeria at a cheaper price. Shame on this government and her slavery mentality, always thinking the west has something better to offer. 1.2M dollars is ridiculous, and yes shame on Levrick or whatever company they call themselves, America always waiting to expliot africa.

Image building my arse, the build our image today, demolish it tomorrow. Time we as african's look to what we can do for ourselves rather than what the west can do for us.

GEJ and his desperados have again gotten this all wrong and if Nigerians can't see this, then oh well.

Unknown said...

OBY speak the truth, you want APPOINTMENT BY FORCE

Unknown said...

Mke she take am esy oo..


C.E.O

Anonymous said...

i swear @bianca....patoswife@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

"I FREED A THOUSAND SLAVES, I COULD HAVE FREED A THOUSAND MORE IF ONLY THEY KNEW THEY WERE SLAVES" - Harriet Tubman. For those of you Nigerians attacking this woman for passing-on very necessary info to the masses, what has the Goodluck administration done for you?

Jonathan said...

Nigeria deserve the type of leader they have, see the way they reason negatively, the woman remain resolute in her opposition to repressive governance.

Anonymous said...

tbh, the problem to solve Nigeria as a whole in fact is basic economics thought in secondary schools. to me all Nigerian politicians are not educated, because all the things learned in school they do not apply it to their environment at all. its a pity. but the least i can say is that if GEJ wins d next election, Nigeria is doomed. in fact nobody shouldnt vote sef, i dnt see anyone capable of ruling Nigria

Unknown said...

Sha d story plenty ooo, na 'Bring back our girls' novel. D long writing is worth d price sha. But is there no PR Firm in Nigeria, Abi una do see Obama leave CNN com petronise Channels Tv b4

Anonymous said...

Upon all the poverty reck on the masses gej stii want to borrow $1 bn dollar so that he can perfect his plan of slavery. Every year billions are budget for military but no result n the senate sit down there looking other side they should not worry I think these year has not end, the prophecy of TB Joshua will sure come to pass on their head. It just a matter of time

NaNcY DreW said...

Dey ve both suceeded in turning d #Bringbackourgirls campaign 2 a "Circus show" I just pity d missing girls and deir parents.

Ibudeh Steve said...

I pray that God should continue to give me a Job (if not to put Food on my table, to get me busy and coordinated)Is this what Joblessness can lead to?
This Oby woman has lost it completely. There is nothing wrong hiring a PR Institution for Publicity, Branding et. al.
Oby is the Oppositions PR. After all her #Bring back our girls Campaign Organization has gone PLC

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