US House of Reps moves to withhold aid to Nigeria over lack of will to combat insecurity

16.7.2026
Nigeria may lose all forms of United States assistance if the country fails to meet up with the expectations of the US House of Representatives in the fight against terror and violent crimes plaguing the nation.
To this end the US lawmakers have approved a proposal seeking to halt all forms of certain American assistance to Nigeria as the government of President Bola Tinubu struggles to contain terror and banditry.
The decision followed the adoption of an amendment sponsored by Congressman Gregory Steube, who represents Florida’s 17th Congressional District on Wednesday. The lawmakers had previously proposed a 50 percent cut to all aid.
However, Steube’s amendment raised the threshold from 50 per cent to 100 per cent, effectively seeking a complete suspension of the affected assistance until the conditions are met.
Addressing lawmakers, the Florida representative argued that allowing half of the funding to continue would amount to rewarding a government that has failed in its primary responsibility of protecting its 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 also questioned the justification for continued foreign assistance to Nigeria at a time when the United States is grappling with rising debt levels.