A United States Congressman, Scott Perry, has alleged that the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, funded terrorist organisations globally, including Boko Haram sects.
Mr Perry, a Republican lawmaker representing Pennsylvania, made the allegations during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on Thursday.
Recall that United States President Donald Trump suspended certain USAID programs worldwide, sparking global outrage.
The decision followed a recommendation by the Department of Government Efficiency, DODGE, who accused the agency of engaging in rogue activities.
Mr Musk claimed that USAID engaged in “rogue CIA work” and even “funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19 that killed millions of people.”
Boko Haram has been engaged in mass killings and abductions in Nigeria and other neighbouring African countries for over 15 years.
But speaking on the session titled: “The war on waste: Stamping out the scourge of improper payments and fraud,” focused on alleged misappropriations of taxpayer funds.
“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Mr Perry said.
The lawmaker further cited USAID’s reported funding of $136 million for building 120 schools in Pakistan, alleging that there was “zero evidence” of the schools’ construction.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door.
“USAID spent $840 million in the last year, the last 20 years, on Pakistan’s education-related program. It includes $136 million to build 120 schools, of which there is zero evidence that any of them were built. Why would there be any evidence? The inspector general can’t get in to see them.
“But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programs for children unable to attend physical school. Yeah, they can’t attend it, because it doesn’t exist. You paid for it.
“Somebody else got the money. You are paying for terrorism. This has got to end.”
