Nigerian Accountability Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10939 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10939

 To prohibit compensated lobbying on behalf of the Nigerian government 
for the duration of its designation as a country of particular concern 
             for religious freedom; and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 29, 2026

Mr. Moore of Alabama introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To prohibit compensated lobbying on behalf of the Nigerian government 
for the duration of its designation as a country of particular concern 
             for religious freedom; and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nigerian Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. LOBBYING PROHIBITION FOR COUNTRY OF CONCERN.

    (a) In General.--For the purposes of administering the Foreign 
Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.), 
no person may act, for compensation, as an agent of the government of 
Nigeria during any period in which Nigeria is designated as a country 
of particular concern for religious freedom under section 
402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 
U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)).
    (b) Penalties.--
            (1) Civil penalty.--Whoever knowingly fails to comply with 
        this Act; shall, upon proof of such knowing violation by a 
        preponderance of the evidence, be subject to a civil fine of 
        not more than $200,000, depending on the extent and gravity of 
        the violation.
            (2) Criminal penalty.--Whoever knowingly and corruptly 
        fails to comply with any provision of this Act shall be 
        imprisoned for not more than 5 years or fined under title 18, 
        United States Code, or both.
    (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to prevent an individual from acting, independently and without 
compensation, as an agent of the government of Nigeria.
    (d) Definition.--
            (1) The term ``government of Nigeria'' has the meaning 
        given the term ``government of a foreign country'' defined in 
        Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, (22 U.S.C. 
        611) as applied to the country Nigeria.
            (2) The term ``agent''--
                    (A) has the meaning given the term ``agent of a 
                foreign principal'' as defined in the Foreign Agents 
                Registration Act of 1938, as amended, (22 U.S.C. 611) 
                as applied to the government of Nigeria; and
                    (B) excludes the exemptions under such Act (22 
                U.S.C. 613).
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