Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The United States House of Representatives has approved an amendment that would withhold 100 percent of U.S. assistance to Nigeria doubling an earlier proposal to suspend 50 percent of funding until the Nigerian government demonstrates effective action to prevent violence, respond to attacks, and hold those responsible accountable.
The amendment was introduced on Wednesday by Representative Gregory Steube of Florida’s 17th Congressional District. It was subsequently adopted by the House through a voice vote.
The move strengthens an earlier proposal approved by the House in April, which sought to withhold half of the funds appropriated for Nigeria until the U.S. Secretary of State certified that the Nigerian government had taken “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable.”
If enacted into law, the measure would make the restoration of U.S. assistance contingent on the Nigerian government’s progress in addressing persistent insecurity and violence across the country.
Speaking in support of his motion, Steube said withholding only 50 percent of the funds appeared to reward the Nigerian government “despite failure to meet its fundamental obligation to protect citizens.
“I rise in strong support for my amendment to increase the withholding threshold for assistance to Nigeria, from 50 percent to 100 percent. While keeping in place benchmarks that demand Nigeria take effective steps to address the violence and persecution that continue to devastate the country.
“Nigeria has faced a horrific wave of violence that its corrupt government has failed to address.
“For years, and especially in recent months, Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria have been subjected to violence and terrorism at the hands of extremists operating with impunity.
“Christian women and girls continue to be abducted, assaulted, tortured, and killed.
“Their churches are burned, and entire communities are erased.
“If the aid conditions included in the bill are important enough to withhold half of all the funding to the Nigerian government, then they are important enough to withhold all of the funding.
“The generosity of our taxpayers is a reflection of the American values we hold so firmly.
“Never should we allow their hard earned tax dollars to be funnelled to corrupt regimes that fail to uphold religious freedom, fail to adequately confront terrorism, and fail to protect the innocent from persecution.
“So, why are we rewarding a government that fails to meet such a basic obligation?”
Steube said it is absurd to expend foreign aid to Nigeria in the face of rising insecurity, especially as America’s national debt approaches $40 trillion.
He said his amendment proposal would ensure that US aid is appropriately leveraged to defend, reflect, and uphold American values.
Truth Live News Media recalls that in 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), citing allegations of widespread persecution and killings of Christians.
He later escalated pressure by authorizing a missile strike on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day.
Despite the heightened tensions, Nigeria and the United States subsequently entered into a military partnership focused on combating terrorist groups operating across the country’s expansive and insurgency-hit northern region.
