President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has said Nigeria won’t allow the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) continue operation in Nigeria, if the American government agency is found guilty of sponsoring terrorism.
While speaking during a plenary session on Wednesday, Akpabio said it’s important for Nigeria to ascertain the veracity of the allegation.
“If it is true that USAID has been funding Boko Haram in Nigeria, we have no business allowing them to have offices in Nigeria. So, before we can take decisive steps and also ask for recompence, automatically we must go deeper into the issue,” the Senate President said.
To investigate the allegations by United States Congressman, Perry Scott, that the USAID has been funding terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram in Nigeria, the Senate summoned heads of security and intelligence agencies.
The resolution was prompted by an Order of Urgent National Security raised by Senator Mohammed Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District, under Order 41.
Ndume urged the Senate to treat the revelation with utmost seriousness, citing the devastating impact of terrorist activities, particularly by Boko Haram, on Nigeria.
He stressed that a comprehensive investigation would dispel speculations about how non-state actors have sustained their operations over the years.
The summoned officials include the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio endorsed the resolution but emphasized the sensitivity of security matters, stating that such issues are best addressed behind closed doors.
He assured that the intelligence chiefs would provide the Senate with a clearer perspective during a private briefing.
Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), a co-sponsor of the motion, proposed an amendment to ensure that security chiefs first brief senators in a closed-door session, arguing that an open debate would not adequately address the gravity of the allegations.
He stated, “At this point, whatever is written here is relevant. However, it is almost impossible to do justice to the issues raised in this motion in an open debate. We do not need an elaborate discussion on this matter; we need to be briefed by security agencies first in a closed-door session.”
Ningi added, “Let’s focus on one key action — inviting the NSA, the DG of NIA, and the DSS for a confidential session with the Senate on this matter. This is their duty; this is what they are funded to do. With the security chiefs’ briefing, we can proceed based on the facts they provide.”
The Senate agreed to Ningi’s proposal, scheduling a closed-door session with the intelligence chiefs to gather detailed information before any further public deliberations
