Foreign Aid or Security Threat? Investigating Allegations of NGO Misuse in Nigeria

An overview of the accusations made against USAID and the requests for further research According to U.S. Congressman Scott Perry, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is allegedly giving an estimated $697 million a year to terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram. At a congressional hearing on the misappropriation of public funds, he made this assertion.

Nigerian stakeholders have called for an investigation into the claim, including Christopher Musa, the country's chief of defense staff, who asked the UN to look into NGO operations in conflict areas.

Although the Nigerian government has not yet responded formally, questions about the funding sources supporting ISWAP and Boko Haram still exist.

Suggestions for Tracking and Observing NGO Operations in Nigeria The following actions should be taken to guarantee transparency and stop illegal funding:

1. Detailed Organizational Profiles ? Keep a central database of all NGOs, complete with information on their funding sources, operational scope, and leadership. ? Demand risk classification in order to identify organizations with dubious funding or ambiguous goals.

2. Keeping an eye on financial transactions and NGO bank accounts ? Put in place a system for NGOs to track both domestic and international transactions in real time. ? To find odd offshore transactions and suspicious transfers, use AI-driven fraud detection. ? To guarantee transparency, mandate stringent screening of foreign donations.

3. Monitoring NGO Locations and Operational Themes ? Keep an eye on NGO operations in areas that are prone to conflict by using geospatial intelligence. ? To identify NGOs functioning outside of their registered locations, use anomaly detection driven by AI. ? Limit access to sensitive areas and mandate government approval for non-governmental organizations operating in high-risk areas.

4. Confirmation and Assessment of Nonprofit Activities ? Demand independent audits on a regular basis to confirm the use of funds. Perform sporadic spot checks and surprise program assessments. ? Use AI-powered document verification to compare program execution reports with financial records.

5. Post-Execution Reviews and Asset Declaration: Require NGOs to provide reports that demonstrate quantifiable impact after implementation. ? To stop money diversion, periodic asset declarations should be required. ? To identify differences between reported and actual expenses, use a red flag system driven by AI.

AI's Potential to Improve NGO Monitoring

? Transaction Monitoring: AI is able to look for irregularities in NGO bank transactions.

? Natural Language Processing (NLP): AI is able to look for discrepancies in funding disclosures, media mentions, and reports.

? Machine Learning for Risk Scoring: AI is able to categorize non-governmental organizations according to possible fraud risks.

? Biometrics and facial recognition: Guarantees that NGO executives and employees are correctly identified.

? Geospatial and satellite analysis: Aids in monitoring NGO operations in isolated or conflict areas.

Important Players for Successful NGO Monitoring

? NGO compliance and registration through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Monitoring questionable financial transactions is the responsibility of the Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

? Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN): oversees financial transparency and foreign donations. Examining financial misconduct is the responsibility of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Information about possible security risks is provided by the Department of State Services (DSS).

? NGOs' operations are supervised by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs & NGOs Regulatory Commission.

? United Nations & International Aid Organizations (in this case)/ Intending NGO's: Ensuring adherence to international norms.

Read more: https://punchng.com/usaid-calls-for-probe-spread-over-alleged-bharam-funding/