Nigeria stands to lose at least $679 million (app. N244.77 bn, at N360-$) in United States financial aid if the country does not support US President Donald Trump’s declaration recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
This is coming as Trump on Wednesday in Washington DC threatened to cut off financial aids to countries that favour a draft United Nations resolution calling for the United States to withdraw its decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
According to Reuters, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly will hold a rare emergency special session on Thursday – at the request of Arab and Muslim countries – to vote on a draft resolution, which the United States vetoed on Monday in the 15-member U.N. Security Council.
Reuters also reported that US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley wrote a letter to dozens of US states noting that President Trump had requested her to “report back on those countries who voted against us.”
According to 2017 data provided by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Nigeria benefits from more than $679 million in US financial aid in governance, humanitarian, agriculture, education and other sectors, which are mainly spent on: emergency response, especially in the insurgency-ridden North East; basic, population and reproductive health; conflict, peace and security; and basic education.
Furthermore, the data show top projects being funded by US aid to Nigeria which may be disrupted as a result of the cut to include: World Food Programme – Regional Emergency Operation (EMOP) for Nigeria; Global Health Supply Chain – Procurement and Supply Management (GSHC-PSM) IDIQ – Malaria Task Order; Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services (SIDHAS); Northern Nigeria Education Initiative Plus (NEI+) and Emergency program in Borno State, Nigeria.
In 2016 the United States provided some $13 billion in economic and military assistance to countries in sub-Saharan Africa (including Nigeria) and $1.6 billion to states in East Asia and Oceania.
It provided some $13 billion to countries in the Middle East and North Africa, $6.7 billion to countries in South and Central Asia, $1.5 billion to states in Europe and Eurasia and $2.2 billion to Western Hemisphere countries, according to Reuters, quoting data from USAID.