United States House of Representatives has approved an amendment seeking to increase the withholding of U.S. assistance to Nigeria from 50 per cent to 100 per cent until the country takes effective steps to address violence within its territory.
The amendment, proposed by Rep. Greg Steube of Florida’s 17th Congressional District, was adopted by voice vote on Wednesday.
The House had earlier proposed withholding 50 per cent of appropriated funds for Nigeria until the U.S. Secretary of State certified that the Nigerian government had taken effective measures to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable.
Speaking in support of the amendment, Steube argued that withholding only half of the assistance amounted to rewarding the Nigerian government despite what he described as its failure to adequately protect its citizens.
He said the amendment retained the existing benchmarks requiring Nigeria to take effective action against violence while increasing the withholding threshold to 100 per cent.
According to him, the measure is intended to ensure that U.S. assistance is used as leverage to encourage improvements in security, protection of vulnerable communities and accountability for acts of violence.
Steube also cited concerns over attacks on Christians and other religious minorities, alleging that extremist groups continued to operate with impunity in parts of Nigeria.
He further argued that, given the United States’ fiscal challenges, foreign assistance should be tied to measurable progress in governance, security and the protection of human rights.
The proposed measure forms part of the U.S. appropriations process and would still be subject to further legislative procedures before becoming law.
Nigeria and the United States have maintained bilateral cooperation in several areas, including security, counter-terrorism, trade and economic development.
The two countries have also strengthened military cooperation in recent years to combat terrorism and insurgency, particularly in Nigeria’s northern region.
The Nigerian Government had yet to issue an official response to the latest action by the U.S. House of Representatives as of the time of filing this report.
