Some Nigerians have sought probe into allegations by a United States Congressman, Scott Perry, that the United States Agency for International Development funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram.
US Congressman, Scott Perry, said that USAID funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, made the claim during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on Thursday.
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The session, entitled “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 your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry said.
According to the subcommittee’s website, it will “actively work with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, shore up vulnerable payment systems, and fully investigate schemes to defraud taxpayers.”
Perry further cited USAID’s reported funding of $136 million for building 120 schools in Pakistan, alleging that there was “zero evidence” of the schools’ construction.
Perry added, ” If you think that the programme under Operation Enduring Sentinel entitled Women’s Scholarship Endowment, which receives $60 million annually, or the Young Women Lead, which gets about $5 million annually, is going to women who, by the way, if you read the Inspector General’s report, is telling you that the Taliban does not allow women to speak in public, yet somehow you’re believing, and American people are supposed to believe, that this money is going for the betterment of the women in Afghanistan. It is not.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door.
“USAID spent $840 million in the last year, the last 20 years, on Pakistan’s education-related programme. It includes $136 million to build 120 schools, of which there is zero evidence that any of them were built. Why would there be any evidence? The Inspector General can’t get in to see them.
“But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programs for children unable to attend the physical school. Yeah, they can’t attend it, because it doesn’t exist. You paid for it.
“Somebody else got the money. You are paying for terrorism. This has got to end.”
US President Donald Trump had previously called for the closure of USAID, accusing the agency of corruption in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The move is part of Trump’s–and his billionaire ally Elon Musk’s–drive to shrink the US government.
Musk, whom Trump appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, criticised USAID, alleging that it engages in rogue operations.
Musk has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and has vowed to shut it down.
Among other criticisms, which Musk has claimed that USAID does “rogue CIA work” and even “funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19 that killed millions of people.”
Trump said DOGE would “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ movement. This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”
Nigerians React
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, expressed concerns about how International Non-Governmental Organisations operate in conflict zones, particularly in the North-East, where Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents are active.
He urged the United Nations to investigate the sources of funding for terror groups, adding that many insurgents found in military operations had been caught with foreign currencies.
While the Nigerian government was yet to issue an official statement regarding the congressman’s claims, several prominent figures, including a former minister and foreign envoys, have weighed in on the matter, calling for a thorough investigation to verify the allegations.
A former Nigerian Ambassador to Brazil and Argentina, Dele Cole, condemned the claim that USAID funds were being used to fund terrorism in Nigeria.
Cole questioned whether the funds were given to Nigeria in the form of cash and called on the Federal Government to investigate the claim.
He said, “I think the Federal Government should investigate the claims. If they (US) know this is funding terrorism, why can’t they complain to the government? Why is it now, with the new president in place, that they are looking for evil as much as they can?
“Nigeria, for example, does not send us cash, we get tablets for HIV and other things. They have been sending us these aids, and I think it is about time we should say to them thank you very much, but we can now look after ourselves.
“They say the money they sent us is about N1 billion, and if this amount of drugs comes into the country, we should be thankful. It’s a good thing on their part. However, it should also serve as a wake-up call for countries in Africa to take care of themselves. We should have enough resources to care for our own and not depend on other countries.
Verydarkman joined in asking the Nigerian government of President Bola Tinubu to do something about the recent revelation of USAID been used to sponsor Boko Haram in Nigeria.
