Trump
The United States House of Representatives has approved a legislative amendment seeking to increase the withholding of specified US assistance to Nigeria from 50 per cent to 100 per cent until the country takes concrete steps to end violence and protect its citizens.
The amendment, sponsored by Representative Gregory Steube, was adopted through a voice vote on Wednesday.
Under an earlier proposal, the House had planned to withhold 50 per cent of the designated assistance, pending certification by the US Secretary of State that the Nigerian government had taken effective measures to prevent and respond to violence and hold those responsible accountable.
However, the newly approved amendment raises the withholding to 100 per cent while retaining the same certification requirements.
Speaking in support of the amendment, Steube argued that withholding only half of the assistance would amount to rewarding the Nigerian government despite what he described as its failure to fulfil its basic responsibility of protecting citizens.
The lawmaker maintained that Nigeria must take effective steps to address the violence and persecution affecting the country before any US assistance is released.
Steube also criticised the security situation in Nigeria, alleging that the government had failed to adequately respond to persistent violence across the country.
He further claimed that Christians and other religious minorities had continued to face attacks by extremist groups, alleging incidents of abduction, assault, torture, killings and the destruction of churches and communities.
According to him, if the conditions attached to the assistance are significant enough to justify withholding half of the funds, they also justify suspending the entire package.
Steube argued that American taxpayers’ money should not be used to support governments that fail to uphold religious freedom, tackle terrorism or protect innocent citizens from persecution.
He concluded that continuing financial assistance to Nigeria was difficult to justify in view of the country’s security challenges and the rising United States national debt, which he said is approaching $40 trillion.