Nigerian lawmaker representing the Borno South Senatorial District, Senator Ali Ndume, has pointed out why the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, programme is suspicious.
Media Talk Africa recalls that U.S. Congressman Scott Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, claimed last week that USAID was used to fund Boko Haram and other terrorist groups.
Concerned over the allegation, the Nigerian Senate, on Wednesday, summoned the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; and the Director-General of the State Security Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, as part of moves to investigate the claim.
Addressing the matter, Ndume, who spoke during a program on Arise TV on Thursday, backed calls for a thorough investigation, stating that USAID’s operation in Nigeria was suspicious.
According to the lawmaker, the program is questionable because “they don’t allow for oversight,” stressing that U.S. officials go to “places where nobody goes.”
He said, “USAID is a big department in the United States established to help other countries and for their purpose. The way they operate makes it so suspicious in the sense that they don’t allow for oversight, and then they go to places where nobody goes.
“They also do certain things in secret. That is so worrisome, but then, this is somebody that is coming under the pretense of helping you when you are in need, so you don’t even have the right to ask questions.
“This is an opportunity for us to investigate since the U.S. itself has closed down USAID funding because of what they called wasteful spending.”
