US Mission to Nigeria Defends Aid Oversight Amid Trump’s 90-Day Foreign Aid Freeze

The United States Mission to Nigeria has reaffirmed that monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to ensure proper utilization of US aid to Nigeria and other countries.

This comes in response to former President Donald Trump’s January 20, 2025, decision to suspend all foreign aid for 90 days, citing concerns about global destabilization and misalignment with US interests.

In a statement posted on its verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, the US Mission confirmed that past assistance from the US government is being closely tracked.

“Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to help verify that U.S. assistance reaches intended recipients,” the mission stated.

The announcement follows heightened scrutiny of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has faced accusations of misappropriating taxpayer funds.

US Congressman Scott Perry recently alleged that USAID had funded terrorist groups, including Boko Haram. The Republican lawmaker from Pennsylvania made the claim during a February 14, 2025, hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.

The session, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on allegations of financial mismanagement in US foreign aid programs.

“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money—$697 million annually—plus cash shipments, is funding madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry alleged.

The US Mission to Nigeria strongly condemned violence by Boko Haram and other extremist groups, emphasizing its commitment to counterterrorism efforts.

“The United States condemns the violence and blatant disregard for human life perpetrated by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in Nigeria and the region,” the mission stated.

It also reiterated that the US Secretary of State officially designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) on November 14, 2013. This designation:

Blocks the group’s assets

Restricts its fundraising efforts

Enables the prosecution of individual members

Prevents their travel to the United States

“The United States continues to work with Nigeria and regional partners to counter terrorism,” the mission added.

Meanwhile, Perry’s allegations fuel the broader debate over USAID’s role in global security. He pointed to a reported $136 million expenditure to build 120 schools in Pakistan, claiming that there was “zero evidence” of their construction.

“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door,” Perry alleged.

Trump, who has long called for USAID’s closure, has accused the agency of corruption and wasteful spending. His administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has vowed to investigate USAID’s activities.

Musk has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and accused it of engaging in rogue CIA operations. His department’s mandate includes:

Dismantling government bureaucracy

Slashing excessive regulations

Cutting wasteful expenditures

Restructuring federal agencies

With Trump’s 90-day foreign aid freeze in effect, global leaders and aid recipients are closely watching how the US government’s new oversight measures will impact international assistance programs.