WASHINGTON — The hapless Nigerian government has finally found a way to deal with the ruthless Boko Haram terror group — hire a Washington PR firm.
Although the Nigerian government has been unable to contain the group’s string of attacks or bring home 270 schoolgirls the group abducted in April, it just inked a $1.2 million contract with DC powerhouse PR firm Levick to boost its perception around the world, the Hill reported.
Under the terms of the contract, the firm will try to put a shine on the image of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, who is up for re-election in February.
The firm will seek to shape “the international and local media narrative” around Nigeria’s “efforts to find and safely return the girls abducted by the terrorist organization Boko Haram,” according to the contract.
The firm will help “mobilize international support in fighting Boko Haram as part of the greater war on terror.”
Additionally, the firm will publicize “President Goodluck Jonathan Administration’s past, present and future priority to foster transparency, democracy and the rule of law throughout Nigeria.”
The Nigerian government has already gotten some high-profile publicity that spotlighted its crisis — a tweet by First Lady Michelle Obama holding a sign with the hashtag “#Bring Back Our Girls.”
Jonathan cut short a trip to Equatorial Guinea for an African summit after a bomb blast in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Wednesday killed 21 people. Extremists kidnapped 91 more people over the weekend, the Associated Press reported.
Lanny Davis, an executive vice president at the firm, said, “For me, after talking to him, the priority for President Jonathan beyond any is finding and bringing home the girls.”