The Department for International Development has defended its aid budget for Nigeria, which is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and security crisis caused by attacks led by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, and Priti Patel, the development secretary, jointly announced £200m in aid over the next four years, during a visit to the country on Wednesday.

The projected average annual funding of £50m in that time period falls short of the £100m pledged to Nigeria for 2017. But DfID played down the suggestion that the new pledge amounted to a halving of the annual budget, claiming the additional funding was part of a £300m five-year package.



A DfID spokeswoman said: “The first year started with a higher amount and now we’ve allocated more money for years two to five. There is also the option to top-up if necessary. We don’t want to over-allocate in case it’s not needed because the idea is we are going to restore the area – so less aid is required.”

Johnson and Patel visited north-east Nigeria on Wednesday to see some of the areas worst hit by the disruption and violence caused by Boko Haram, the Islamist terrorist group. As many as 1.9 million people have been internally displaced due to Boko Haram activity, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Food is the single greatest unmet need for the displaced people, the IOM has said.

Challenged about whether she felt comfortable with an aid cut, Patel replied that she did not see it as a cut because she had just announced more money for Nigeria. “My job isn’t just to give aid and money … but also to get others to contribute as well,” she said.

Against a backdrop of calls for the Nigerian government to take ownership of the crisis, DfID admitted the forthcoming funding was being scaled back, but said this did not amount to halving the budget.

“We massively stepped up funding in response to the crisis in 2016 and 2017 and rather than keep giving the same amount we are letting it reduce because we expect the need to become less acute,” the spokeswoman said. “This year the money will be higher than subsequent years.”

The department said it was not yet able to provide a breakdown for 2018.

Patel and Johnson met the Nigerian vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday to discuss security, trade, British investment and the fight against corruption. Nigeria is widely recognised as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, hampering UK investment.

Johnson described Nigeria as an “incredible country and powerhouse of the African economy”. The foreign secretary also formally opened what he described as “this wonderful, new, super, colossal British high commission” in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

Patel announced an extra £7m to combat sexual exploitation and modern slavery in Nigeria. Approximately 80% of the girls arriving to Europe from Nigeria are potential victims of trafficking for exploitation, the UK government says. The numbers have risen from 1,454 in 2014 to 11,099 in 2016.

British officials have been advising Nigerian authorities on how to challenge human trafficking, particularly among poor families, with Nigerian officials now working alongside UK counterparts at Gatwick and Heathrow to profile traffickers.