‘US Got the Mines, Tinubu Got No Meeting’: Atiku’s US Firm Makes Fresh Allegations Over $700B Mineral Pact

WASHINGTON, D.C.—A prominent United States lobbying and political advisory firm representing former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has leveled explosive allegations against President Bola Tinubu, linking a newly signed critical minerals pact to a desperate bid for a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, claimed in a public statement that the diplomatic maneuvering backfired, leaving the United States with lucrative mining access while President Tinubu was left without his coveted meeting.

According to the Washington-based advisory group, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mining cooperation—designed to secure U.S. access to Nigeria’s critical metals—was leveraged by Nigerian officials as a sweetener to broker high-level talks with President Trump.

“This MoU was first announced by the Nigerian government last week and was meant to be signed at the UN with President Bola Tinubu,” the lobbying firm stated. “It was one of the proposals that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu had allegedly offered in exchange for a meeting with President Donald Trump.”

A Failed Diplomatic Trade-Off?

The firm further claimed that upon discovering the nature of the proposed exchange, it intervened directly with the White House.

“We immediately reached out to the Trump Administration, which resulted in the article being immediately taken down, the signing at the UN being canceled, and President Tinubu staying in France,” the firm asserted, adding that Trump ultimately signed alternative agreements at the United Nations General Assembly.

Von Batten-Montague-York asserted, “The United States got the mines; President Tinubu got no meeting.”

Context of the U.S.-Nigeria Pact

The allegations surfaced immediately after Nigeria and the United States officially finalized a major framework agreement aimed at deepening American investment in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, which is estimated to be worth $700 billion.

Nigeria is rich in highly sought-after deposits of lithium, gold, tin, and iron ore.

The historic pact was ultimately signed on Wednesday at the Nigeria Mission House in New York by Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

While the lobbying firm insists the political choreography of the deal unraveled, Minister Alake has fiercely defended the economic integrity of the agreement.

In a statement issued by his office, Alake emphasized that the framework ensures the U.S. will invest in local refining and processing rather than simply extracting raw materials.

“Nigeria cannot remain a source of raw materials while others capture most of the value,” Alake stated. “We want more local processing, quality jobs, stronger skills, and greater opportunities for Nigerian businesses.”

The Nigerian presidency has not yet issued a formal response to the specific claims made by Atiku’s American lobbyist regarding the alleged Trump meeting request.