Washington, D.C. – Chairman Royce issued this statement following a Tuesday meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari:

“The Committee had a productive meeting with President Buhari. We discussed Nigeria’s largely peaceful embrace of the democratic process in its most recent elections. We share the hopes of many Nigerians that the President delivers his campaign pledges of rooting out corruption and spurring much-needed economic growth. We had an extensive discussion with President Buhari on support to Nigeria and other partner nations in its fight against Boko Haram. We shared ideas on how the Congress can be helpful to the Nigerian military’s struggle against Boko Haram, in particular ensuring that onerous security assistance vetting is not an obstacle to greater U.S.-Nigeria cooperation.”

NOTE: In May 2015, Chairman Royce authored an amendment that was favorably adopted in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act that expressed support for robust assistance to Nigeria and other partner nations in their fight against Boko Haram. The text of the amendment is available HERE.

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