US House backs amendment to withhold aid to Nigeria over ‘Christian persecution’

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By Favour Ulebor

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The United States House of Representatives has approved an amendment to withhold 100 per cent of US assistance to Nigeria until the country meets specific conditions to address violence and protect Christian communities.

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The amendment, approved by a voice vote on Wednesday, was added to the fiscal 2027 State Department spending bill, which the House later passed 217-209 largely along party lines.

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Announcing the vote on X, Congressman Greg Steube wrote, “My amendment to withhold 100% of U.S. aid to Nigeria until its government stops the slaughter of Christians has passed.

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“American taxpayers should never bankroll governments that turn a blind eye while Christians are abducted, tortured, and murdered. No more wasteful foreign aid!”

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The underlying bill had originally proposed withholding 50 per cent of funds appropriated for Nigeria until the US Secretary of State certifies that the country has taken “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable.”

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Steube’s amendment raises that threshold to 100 per cent, while leaving the certification conditions unchanged.

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On the House floor, Steube said Nigeria “has faced a horrific wave of violence that its corrupt government has failed to address,” and argued that withholding only half the funding meant rewarding a government that “fails to meet such a basic obligation.”

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He said the amendment does not add new conditions but “only strengthens” the existing ones, and framed it as a matter of accountability.

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“Foreign aid should never be a reward for failure,” he said.

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Steube also linked his push to America’s finances, asking why the country should keep sending money to Nigeria “as our national debt is fast approaching $40 trillion.”

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The measure still has to clear the Senate and be signed by the president before it can take effect, meaning Wednesday’s vote does not immediately change US funding to Nigeria.

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The vote comes after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern in 2025 over allegations of Christian persecution, and after a US missile strike on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day drew tension between the two countries.

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The two nations have since entered a security partnership targeting terrorist groups in the north.

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