The United States house appropriations committee has put forward a bill stipulating conditions for financial assistance to Nigeria pending when the government of the African nation addresses violent attacks in parts of the country.
The bill focuses on US appropriations for national security, department of state, and related programmes for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027.
The proposed legislation stipulates that less than 15 percent of $6.89 billion should be made available for national security investment programmes in Africa.
The proposed legislation also outlines that $205 million should be made available for democracy fund, and $5 billion should be expended on international humanitarian assistance.
According to the bill, $870 million was appropriated for anti-terrorism assistance.
The proposed legislation states that 50 percent of funds appropriated for Nigeria may not be disbursed until the secretary of state certifies that the Nigerian government takes “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable”.
Funds available to Nigeria are expected to be used for “advancing religious freedom and investigations and prosecutions of violence committed by Fulani militia groups, jihadist terror groups, and criminal gangs”.
The proposed legislation mandates the US secretary of state to submit a plan for funds appropriated to Nigeria.
Part of the bills reads: “CERTIFICATION.—Of the funds appropriated under titles III and IV of this Act that are made available for assistance for the central Government of Nigeria, 50 percent may not be obligated until the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that such Government is—
“ (A) taking effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable;
“(B) prioritizing resources to support victims of such violence, including internally displaced persons;
“(C) actively facilitating the safe return, resettlement, and reconstruction of communities impacted by the violence; and
“(D) allocating sufficient resources to address the conditions in subparagraphs (A) through (C).”
A copy of the bill can be seen here.
The exact fund appropriated for Nigeria was not stated in the bill.
‘TINUBU GOVERNMENT SPENDING MILLIONS LOBBYING CONGRESS’
Speaking on the bill via a series of posts published via X, Riley Moore, a member of the US house of representatives, said the President Bola Tinubu administration is spending millions lobbying congress “while failing to adequately address the genocide Nigerian Christians face daily”.
Moore said the US will not “turn a blind eye to the brutal persecution of our Nigerian brothers and sisters in Christ”.
The Tinubu Administration is spending millions lobbying Congress while failing to adequately address the genocide Nigerian Christians face daily.@HouseAppropsGOP just passed our annual State Department funding bill which takes serious steps to address this crisis. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/seOkDszcS1
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