A United States congressman, Riley Moore, has criticised the administration of Bola Tinubu over what he described as a failure to meet conditions attached to US security assistance to Nigeria.
Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District, made his position known in a post on X on Wednesday, urging Marco Rubio to factor the issue into decisions on upcoming funding cycles.
“In my view, the Tinubu administration has failed to live up to the conditions the appropriations committee placed on security assistance. I urge @SecRubio to take this into account in administering both FY26 and FY27 funding,” he wrote.
The reference to FY26 and FY27 relates to the United States’ fiscal calendar, which runs from October 1 to September 30, and determines how Congress allocates foreign aid for each cycle.
The assistance in question includes US support for Nigeria’s security sector—ranging from military training and equipment to intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism efforts aimed at tackling insurgency, banditry, and organised crime.
Such support is typically tied to strict conditions, including adherence to human rights standards, accountability in the use of funds, and measurable progress in addressing insecurity.
Moore’s comments come amid his ongoing criticism of Nigeria’s handling of security challenges, particularly violence affecting religious communities. In earlier remarks, he accused the government of failing to justify billions of dollars in military aid received from Washington.
“My brothers and sisters in Christ are murdered for practising their faith,” he said at the time, warning that continued inaction could worsen the situation.
He also argued that despite years of US assistance, including training and equipment, insecurity persists without sufficient response from Nigerian authorities.
“If we do not address this and some terrorists take hold in Nigeria, we would have to respond one way or the other. I would prefer we do it cooperatively with Nigerians,” he added.
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The Federal Government has, however, rejected claims that the violence is driven by religious persecution, maintaining that insecurity in the country affects both Christians and Muslims and stems from broader criminal and insurgent activities.
Earlier this year, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters reaffirmed that military cooperation with the United States does not undermine national sovereignty and comes at no cost to the country. It also confirmed the deployment of about 100 US personnel and equipment in February as part of ongoing bilateral efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s response to evolving security threats.
Despite these assurances, Moore insists that Nigeria’s compliance with the conditions attached to US assistance will play a key role in determining future funding—suggesting that aid programmes could face closer scrutiny in the coming years.
