Nigeria risks losing out on fresh $1.4bn US aid over alleged ‘Christian persecution’

Crucially, it adds: “As with all foreign assistance, the President and Secretary of State retain the right to pause or terminate any programme which do not align with the national interest, and the Trump administration expects Nigeria to continue to make progress ensuring that it combats extremist religious violence against vulnerable Christian populations.”

The conditionality was reinforced by the U.S House of Representatives, which recently voted to tie Nigeria’s aid to verifiable steps on tackling Christian persecution.

The bill passed last month by the House of Rep tasked Abuja with taking concrete actions to ensure the return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes and ensuring protection for persecuted Christians in the Middle Belt region among others.

Meanwhile, in the fresh aid approved by Washington under its AFGHS, the U.S set aside $1.4 billion to support integrated health services through faith and community-based hospitals and clinics in more than 20 countries.

Out of it, $850 million will go through a Faith and Community Initiative Award to World Vision and local faith-based implementers to strengthen over 2,500 faith-based hospitals and clinics across 17 countries with more than 30,000 community health workers trained, paid, and equipped.
An additional $570 million will be channelled directly to faith-based and community hospitals through bilateral MOUs with governments, including Nigeria

In humanitarian assistance, the State Department also announced $538 million for Samaritan’s Purse and a World Vision–Compassion International consortium to reach 7 million people across 16 humanitarian crises. Over $100 million will be made immediately available for disaster response in 23 disaster-prone countries.

The State Department said the combined $1.4 billion health announcement is the largest to faith-based organisations in over 20 years, with at least 80 percent of resources required to go directly to frontline services.

For Nigeria, the MOU specifically emphasised support for Christian faith-based health care providers, which are described in the agreement as “uniquely positioned” to complement public facilities.

With the U.S shifting more resources to faith-based delivery where such providers account for 40 per cent or more of health facilities in many aid-recipient countries, Nigeria’s access to the new funding will depend on how Abuja addresses concerns raised in Washington.

The State Department said partners like Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision and Compassion International were chosen for their record of rapid deployment in conflict zones and disaster areas without bureaucratic delay.