A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over what he described as Nigeria’s failure to meet conditions attached to US security assistance.

Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District, made his position known in a post on X on Wednesday, where he also urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to factor the situation into future funding decisions.

“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.

FY26 and FY27 refer to the United States’ federal budget cycles that determine foreign assistance allocations, including military and security cooperation packages extended to partner countries like Nigeria.

US security assistance to Nigeria typically covers military training, intelligence support, equipment supply, and counter-terrorism cooperation aimed at tackling insurgency, banditry, and other forms of organised crime.

However, such support is often tied to strict conditions, including accountability in the use of funds, respect for human rights, and measurable progress in addressing insecurity.

Moore’s latest remarks come after earlier criticism in which he raised concerns about the impact of US military assistance to Nigeria, especially amid ongoing violence in parts of the country.

He had previously argued that despite years of support from Washington, insecurity remained persistent, particularly in relation to attacks he linked to religious communities.

“If we do not address this and some terrorists take hold in Nigeria, we would have to address it one way or the other. I would like to do it cooperatively with Nigerians,” he had said.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims that insecurity in the country is religiously driven, maintaining that violence affects both Christians and Muslims and is largely fuelled by terrorism, banditry, and criminal networks.

Security authorities have also defended cooperation with the United States, stressing that such partnerships remain within Nigeria’s sovereignty and have contributed to ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

Despite this, Moore insisted that compliance with aid conditions will play a key role in shaping future US security funding decisions for Nigeria in the coming fiscal cycles, (The Sun)

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