The US house of representatives on Wednesday agreed to an amendment bill that would increase withholding of assistance to Nigeria from 50 percent to 100 percent until the West African nation takes effective steps to prevent and respond to violence within its territory.
Gregory Stuebe, who represents Florida’s 17th congressional district in the house, proposed the amendment on Wednesday.
Lawmakers later agreed to the move with a voice vote.
The house had first proposed to halve funds appropriated for Nigeria in April until the secretary of state certified that the Nigerian government had taken “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable”.
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,” Steube said.
“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.
According to him, the amendment proposal would ensure that US aid is appropriately leveraged to defend, reflect, and uphold American values.