UK’S aid handout to Nigeria is cut in half
BRITAIN has halved the amount of money given to Nigeria in humanitarian aid, saying the country’s government must “step up and do more” to stop Boko Haram extremists.
It follows a joint visit by Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, and Priti Patel, the International Development Secretary, to Nigeria to see the UK’S response to the humanitarian crisis, where they saw how the British military had been training Nigerian soldiers to fight Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group.
Last night, the Government announced £200 million of aid funding for the four years from 2018 to 2022. It amounts to £50 million per year, half the amount given for 2017.
Ms Patel said: “My job isn’t just to give aid and give money, my job is to make sure that money goes further and that we leverage that with the Nigerian government to make them step up and do more.”
The emergency aid money had been pledged to save lives and rebuild parts of Nigeria destroyed by Boko Haram, the Government announced. Ms Patel had announced £100 million in humanitarian support for 2017 earlier this year. The extra funding will extend the Department for International Development’s (Dfid) humanitarian programme in the country over five years and will provide treatment for up to 120,000 children at risk from severe acute malnutrition. It will deliver food for more than 1.5 million people on the brink of famine and support education for 100,000 boys and girls.
Ms Patel said: “It is catastrophic that at least 20,000 people have been murdered by Boko Haram’s terrorist regime, and over five million people have been left hungry and many homeless. Babies’ bodies are shutting down and mothers who have lost everything are fighting to keep their children alive.
“We are providing a lifeline to over 1.5 million people on the brink of famine, tackling Boko Haram and pushing for reform to deliver help more effectively.
“Terrorism knows no borders and the Nigerian government must now follow our lead to stop innocent people dying and securing the area so that people can rebuild their lives in safety – reducing the threat of radicalisation and migration for the UK at home.”