The government of the United States of America (USA) has said that there was no evidence that the United States Agency for International Development has been funding Boko Haram or any terrorist group in Nigeria.
The United States of America has stressed that if certainly they were in possession of such evidence that a programme funding was being diverted to Boko Haram, they would immediately investigate along with Nigerian partners.
Speaking to journalists late Wednesday night in Abuja after meeting with the 36 state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), US Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills said that no nation condemns Boko Haram’s violence more strongly than the US.
Recall that on February 13, Congressman Scott Perry accused USAID of funding terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
Boko Haram is a terrorist group founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf. The group’s objectives included promoting Sunni Islam and eliminating Shia Islam in Nigeria.
Over the years, thousands of Nigerians have lost their lives, billions of Naira worth of property have been destroyed, and many families have been displaced.
Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, made this statement during the first hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
The session, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on alleged misappropriations of taxpayer funds.
“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because of your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” he said.
Recall that the Senate on Wednesday at plenary summoned the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi; Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and the Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, to appear before it behind closed doors.
The Senate raised serious concerns over the escalating insecurity in the country and the alarming allegations that certain international agencies may have been financing the Boko Haram insurgency.
The invited heads of security agencies are to come for explanations on allegations levelled against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on sponsorship of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and other security-related matters. The meeting is to assess the credibility of these allegations, discuss Nigeria’s broader security challenges, and determine necessary policy responses.
Speaking further while responding to a question, the US ambassador, who noted that the US has strict policies to prevent USAID or any other US assistance from being diverted to terrorist groups like Boko Haram, said, “Let me be clear, there’s no friend of Nigeria that has been stronger in its condemnation of the violence of Boko Haram and Boko Haram contempt for human life than the United States. We have designated Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation since 2013, blocking the group from transferring assets to the US and allowing us to arrest and seize its members.
“We cooperate in investigations with the Nigerian government. I can assure you that we have strict policies and procedures to ensure that USAID funding or any other US assistance, whether from USAID, the Department of Defence, or the State Department, is not diverted to terrorist groups like Boko Haram.
“There is absolutely no evidence of such diversion, and if we ever had evidence that any programme funding was being misused by Boko Haram, we would immediately investigate it with our Nigerian partners.
“So, when it comes to Boko Haram, the United States stands with Nigeria in wanting to rid this country of the scourge that this organisation represents.”
On other issues discussed with the 36 state governors, the US ambassador who disclosed that he outlined the embassy’s vision for the future of the US-Nigerian relationship said, “I explained to them that we are going to focus on four key priorities in the coming years. The first is improving the business environment to increase trade and investment between the United States and Nigeria.
“Second, a renewed focus on improving transparency and accountability in Nigeria, fighting corruption, and empowering Nigerian voices advocating for more transparency.
“Third, we want to be more engaged at the subnational level, at the state level, and with local governing authorities. I believe the embassy needs to engage more in this area as we develop our programmes and assistance.
“Lastly, we discussed our health care programmes, which are a large part of US assistance to Nigeria. As these programmes succeed—such as reducing HIV cases and eradicating polio—we want to ensure their sustainability and transition them to the Nigerian government at the federal and state levels.”
According to Mills, the aim is to ensure the sustainability of these health programmes and transfer them to the Nigerian government for effective management, helping to create a stronger healthcare future.
He said, “We’re going to be focusing on four key priorities over the coming years. The first is how to improve the business environment so there’s more trade between the United States and Nigeria and more investment on both sides. Second, a renewed focus on improving transparency and accountability in this country, and how to fight corruption and power. Nigerian voices that are fighting for more transparency here.
“Third, we want to be more engaged at the subnational level, at the state level and with the local governing authorities. That’s, I think, an area where the embassy needs to do a bit more engagement as we develop our programmes and our assistance.
“And lastly, we talked about our health care programmes because our health care programmes are a large part of us, assistance to Nigeria, and as those programmes are succeeding, as fewer people have HIV, as polio vaccinations have helped eradicate polio, we want to start transitioning those programmes, keep them sustainable and turn them over to the Nigerian government at the federal level, at the state level. So how do we keep our health programmes sustainable and transfer it over to the Nigerian government so they can run them and make them more effective in a new healthcare future? So that’s what we talked about, that vision. And with that, I’m happy to take some questions. Okay.
“What we’d like to see is, I think, more direct engagement at the state level. Our programmes are more focused on the states. We’d like to help develop the capacity of the states and the local governing authorities. I think this is partly driven by the Supreme Court decision last summer that is going to give, I think, the LGAs, if this unfolds the way we think it will, perhaps some more authority, more fiscal responsibility. So we want to help the LGAs transition to take on this new responsibility and make sure they can work well with the states, based on our experience in the United States, where we have a federal system too, and where one of our governing principles is the most effective government is the government that’s closest to the people. So that’s what we’re looking for in Nigeria and the United States government here.”
On the issue of cut of assistance, the US Ambassador who noted that the government has not stopped foreign assistance to their partners and friends like Nigeria, said that no assistance has been cut yet as no decisions have been made about the future of their assistance.
He clarified that President Donald Trump’s administration did not cut assistance but implemented a 90-day pause to develop ways to make it more effective.
Milla said, “Well, first, let me clarify one thing. Right now, the new administration has put in a 90-day pause on our assistance. No assistance has been cut yet; no decisions have been made about the future of our assistance.
“In fact, Secretary Marco Rubio has said this is not about ending foreign assistance to our partners and friends like Nigeria. It’s about how to make the assistance more effective and how to make sure that it aligns with US government policies and interests. So that’s what this 90-day pause is for and our assistance.
“But I think many of you have seen, I hope, that there are waivers, waivers for our assistance that’s life-saving, that provides humanitarian life-saving assistance, whether that’s to HIV patients or to mother and child nutrition needs or to internally displaced people. So that continues, where we’ll be in 90 days, we will know. Thank you very much.”
