The push was disclosed on Wednesday when Congressman Riley Moore shared details on his official X account about a new provision in the proposed State Department funding bill.
“The Tinubu Administration is spending millions lobbying Congress while failing to adequately address the genocide Nigerian Christians face daily,” Moore said.
He explained that the bill would withhold up to 50 percent of certain US funds earmarked for Nigeria’s central government until the Secretary of State certifies that Abuja is taking effective steps to curb violence, support victims, and help displaced communities return home safely.
“@HouseAppropsGOP just passed our annual State Department funding bill which takes serious steps to address this crisis,” Moore said.
“In this bill, I worked with Mario Díaz-Balart to restrict Security Assistance to Nigeria unless certain criteria are met,” the lawmaker stated
The proposal prioritises atrocity prevention, religious freedom, accountability for security forces, and humanitarian relief, while backing stronger action against armed groups operating in affected regions.
Moore reiterated that the framework reflects growing bipartisan concern in Congress about insecurity and mass displacement in Nigeria, especially in the Middle Belt, and he called for even stricter scrutiny in future funding cycles.
The latest move builds on earlier US policy responses to Nigeria’s security and human-rights challenges. In October 2025, President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing widespread attacks on Christians and what he termed an “existential threat” to Christianity in the country.
Trump then instructed lawmakers, including Moore and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, to investigate and report back.
That review produced congressional recommendations for stronger measures, among them proposals to restrict Nigerian beef exports as leverage to force armed groups to disarm. These ideas appeared in a report titled “Ending the Persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”
The document outlines a multifaceted strategy to improve security, ranging from economic leverage and early-warning systems to robust disarmament and reintegration programs for militias.
Nigeria’s government has firmly rejected accusations of targeted persecution against Christians, insisting that the country’s instability arises from multiple complex causes including terrorism and communal clashes.
Reports in January 2026 indicated that the Federal Government is paying roughly $750,000 per month to a Republican-linked US lobbying firm to push back against “Christian genocide” narratives and shape opinion among conservative and evangelical circles in Washington.
Despite earlier frictions, the United States and Nigeria agreed to create a Joint Working Group to boost defence and security cooperation.
In December 2025, President Donald Trump announced a “powerful and deadly strike” on an ISIS base in northwest Nigeria—an operation Nigerian officials later confirmed they supported following a terrorist attack in Maiduguri.
The fresh legislative push underscores deepening scrutiny in Washington over Nigeria’s security challenges and the future shape of American assistance to the country.
Author
Leave a comment