A Washington-based political advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has confirmed that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the US State Department on Thursday, seeking full disclosure of the $700 billion mining agreement signed between Nigeria and the United States.
The firm stated that the action became necessary after President Bola Tinubu’s administration refused to disclose the details of the Memorandum of Understanding to Nigerians. According to the firm, the request seeks the signed mining MoU alongside all records detailing how the agreement was negotiated .
‘Nigerians Deserve Transparency’
In a post on its verified X handle, the firm said it has heard the voices of Nigerians demanding transparency over the deal signed by the Nigerian Presidency and the United States. It criticized the Tinubu administration for signing numerous deals with Europe and borrowing billions of dollars while keeping citizens in the dark.
“This time around, he is not dealing with Europe, and we are not in Nigeria. We are in the United States, a country where the rule of law still exists,” the firm said. It added that Americans also have an interest in knowing what was agreed and what protections exist for affected communities, promising to publish the documents once received .
The firm noted its support for US efforts to secure access to critical minerals but emphasized that Washington “must not become like China while trying to outcompete China” .
Background to the Controversy
The mining framework agreement was signed in New York on September 24 by Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. The deal covers geological data, mineral exploration, development, processing, infrastructure, and technical capacity .
However, the agreement has been shadowed by an ongoing FOIA case in the US involving American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has sought records from US agencies relating to historical investigations involving Tinubu. In April 2025, a US federal judge ordered the FBI and DEA to process non-exempt records connected to Greenspan’s requests, and the matter remains active .
Von Batten-Montague-York has been at the center of efforts to secure the release of those records and has previously questioned the timing of the mining deal, alleging that the Nigerian Presidency privately claimed the Americans had been “settled” .
The Nigerian Presidency has not yet reacted to the FOIA filing.
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