Nigeria’s Insecurity: Enough Is Enough — Washington Demands Accountability For U.S. Funds, No More Excuses from Nigeria’s Leaders. By Capt. Bishop C. Johnson, U.S. Army (rtd)

Capt. Bishop C. Johnson, U.S. Army (rtd)

"Recent signals from U.S. agencies and congressional voices indicate growing frustration. American lawmakers and defense analysts are openly questioning where the funds have gone — and why Nigeria’s military and security institutions remain chronically under-equipped and demoralized despite consistent support." Capt Johnson (Retd).

After years of pumping millions of dollars into Nigeria’s counterterrorism and security programs, Washington’s patience appears to be wearing thin. The United States, once a key financial and technical backer in Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram, banditry, and insurgency, is now demanding concrete results and transparency from Abuja. With insecurity worsening despite sustained foreign aid, American policymakers are signaling a shift from unconditional support to performance-based engagement — a clear message that the era of endless funding without accountability is over.

For over a decade, Nigeria has remained the largest recipient of U.S. security assistance in Sub-Saharan Africa. Billions of dollars have been spent on intelligence sharing, counterterrorism training, weapons procurement, and humanitarian support for internally displaced persons. Yet, the results on the ground tell a different story. The violence in the North East persists, banditry has metastasized across the North West, and the South East remains engulfed in separatist unrest. From Washington’s perspective, the Nigerian government has failed to demonstrate the political will, institutional discipline, and financial transparency necessary to justify continued funding at current levels.

Recent signals from U.S. agencies and congressional voices indicate growing frustration. American lawmakers and defense analysts are openly questioning where the funds have gone — and why Nigeria’s military and security institutions remain chronically under-equipped and demoralized despite consistent support. The perception in Washington is that corruption, poor coordination among security agencies, and weak civilian oversight have eroded the effectiveness of U.S. assistance. As one congressional aide reportedly put it, “Nigeria doesn’t have a funding problem; it has a leadership problem.”

This new posture marks a significant shift in America’s approach to Africa’s most populous nation. Instead of offering blank checks in the name of partnership, Washington now wants measurable results — accountability in expenditure, transparency in operations, and respect for human rights in all security operations. The U.S. Department of State and Pentagon are reviewing aid frameworks to ensure that every dollar spent aligns with verifiable outcomes on the ground. In essence, Nigeria must now demonstrate progress or risk a gradual reduction in support and international credibility.

For Nigeria’s leaders, this is a defining moment. The call for accountability should not be seen as a rebuke but as an opportunity to reset the nation’s internal security architecture and rebuild international confidence. Genuine reforms in procurement, improved troop welfare, inter-agency cooperation, and local community engagement can restore trust both at home and abroad. The United States is not walking away — it is demanding responsibility. What remains to be seen is whether Nigeria’s leadership will rise to the challenge or continue down the familiar path of excuses and inertia.

The complexity of our national disposition is mostly tainted with massive corruption; but the good news is that the US mustn't have to apply military sophistication to damper the situation. 

The insecurity in Nigeria, to my  painful submission has been made a humongous money-spinner by those of top military and political echelon - to the governors more security votes; the legislators more pretentious oversight kickback; and to the military officers, more continuous overblown direct acquisition via procurement of fighting tools - and the machinations flow in direct proportion to their gains. That's to say, the more the killings, the more the economic benefits to these people, this is rather unfortunate. And the corollary has built this unwanted and false national notion and narrative that our situation is complex and  helpless. It is neither!

The simplest way to detonate or defuse that smoothly operated economic ignobiliity without moving any military assets, is the application of gross sanctions to those beneficiary individuals who have built heritages with fellow citizens blood. 

Capt. Bishop C. Johnson, U.S. Army (rtd) is a National Defense & Military Strategist, Security Consultant, and Political Analyst