The dire situation in Nigeria and the U.S. effort to maintain positive relations with the largest U.S. trading partner in Africa and a major ally in international peacekeeping were the focus of a House hearing held Jan. 27 by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the House Africa and global human rights subcommittee.  

    “Unfortunately, Nigeria is beset by various challenges that threaten the peace and stability of this African giant,” said Smith, who has recently twice traveled to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and is the continent’s largest economy. “The terrorist group Boko Haram continues its bloody reign of terror, now threatening to establish a ‘caliphate’ on the model of ISIS in the Levant.  Religious and ethnic discord, which pre-dates Boko Haram’s emergence, continues unabated.”  Click here to read Chairman Smith’s opening remarks.

    Lower oil prices have serious damaged an economy dependent on oil exports. Meanwhile, as February 14 elections near, the prospect of a repeat of the violent 2011 post-election period has increased tensions in Nigeria even further.

    “This terrorist group has wreaked havoc on the people of Nigeria, particularly in the northeast.  It is estimated that more than 5,500 people were killed in Boko Haram attacks last year alone,” Smith said. “As many as 2,000 people may have perished in the Boko Haram attack on the town of Baga and nearby villages earlier this month. More than a million Nigerians have been displaced internally by the violence, and tens of thousands of others are now refugees in neighboring countries.  Clearly, Boko Haram violence is escalating drastically.”

    Smith said Boko Haram threatens not only Nigeria, but also Cameroon, Chad and Niger. He pressed the Administration to designate Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist organization (FTO) for nearly two years, until the very day of a 2013 hearing held to consider a bill on FTO designation. At the hearing the state Department, led by Secretary of State Kerry, finally announced that Boko Haram was being recognized as an FTO.

    “Nigeria is the proverbial ‘too big to fail’ nation,” Smith said. “A collapse of its economy, increase in refugees to its neighbors or spread of its homegrown terrorism to the region and the broader international community clearly will be problematic for more than just Nigeria.”

    The hearing, entitled “Nigeria on the Brink?,” featured witnesses from the U.S. government as well as from non-government organization (NGOs): Robert P. Jackson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State; Dr. J. Peter Pham, Director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council; Jadegoke Adebonajo Badejo, Principal Partner, Bonajo Badejo & Co.; Emmanuel Ogebe, of the Justice for Jos Project, Jubilee Campaign USA, and Dr. Chris Fomunyoh, Ph.D., Senior Associate and Regional Director for Central and West Africa, National Democratic Institute. Click here to read witness statements or watch the hearing.

    Smith held hearings on Nigeria in June and July of 2014. The congressman visited the country in September 2013 and June 2014, and was the sponsor of the ‘‘Boko Haram Terrorist Designation Act of 2013,’’ H.Res. 3209. The State Department committed to making the declaration at a November 2013, House hearing chaired by Smith.

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