Members of the United States House of Representatives have approved an amendment seeking to withhold 100 per cent of US assistance to Nigeria until the country takes effective measures to prevent and respond to violence within its borders.
The amendment, sponsored by Gregory Steube, who represents Florida’s 17th Congressional District, was adopted on Wednesday through a voice vote.
The House had earlier proposed withholding 50 per cent of funds allocated to Nigeria until the US Secretary of State certifies that the Nigerian government has taken “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable”.
Speaking in support of the amendment, Steube argued that withholding only half of the funding effectively rewards the Nigerian government despite what he described as its failure to protect 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,” Steube said.
“Nigeria has faced a horrific wave of violence that its corrupt government has failed to address.”
He further alleged that Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria have continued to face attacks from extremist groups, claiming that women and girls are abducted, assaulted, tortured and killed, while churches are destroyed and communities wiped out.
Steube maintained that if the existing conditions justify withholding half of the funding, they should equally justify suspending all assistance.
“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?” he added.
The lawmaker also questioned continued US financial assistance to Nigeria amid rising insecurity and America’s growing national debt, which he said is approaching $40 trillion.
According to him, the amendment is intended to ensure that US foreign assistance reflects and upholds American values.
In 2025, US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) over allegations of Christian genocide before later authorising a missile strike on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day.
Nigeria and the United States have since entered into a military partnership aimed at combating terrorist groups operating across the country’s northern region.