Elon Musk say President Donald Trump agree say di US Agency for International Development need to dey “shut down,” dis na after days of tok-tok over di future of di agency after dem freeze im funding and dem don put some of im employees on leave.
Musk tok am for one X Spaces conversation early Monday.
Reports say some senior USAID staff bin dey asked to go on leave last week on accusations of attempting to dodge Trump executive order to freeze foreign aid for 90 days.
USAID bin dey established in 1961 under President John F. Kennedy administration and di US government humanitarian arm. E dey give billions of dollars every year across di world in an effort to reduce poverty, treat diseases, and respond to famines and natural disasters among oda tins.
Dis Trump executive order to pause all foreign aid for 90 days, don lead to confusion, sackings and shutdown of programs across di world including Nigeria.
From fear of job losses to a potential setback for some important health programmes, health workers and oda staff members of organisations wey dey affiliated to USAID for Nigeria don tell BBC Pidgin say wahala dey.
Already, many of dis pipo no dey work again. Dem say dia organisations don tell dem to go on leave witout pay until 90-days wen dem go know dia fate.
On 20 January, Trump sign di order wey mandate all agency and department wey dey in involved in foreign development programs to “immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds to foreign countries and implementing non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and contractors…”
According to Trump, dis order na bicos “the United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy no dey aligned wit American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values”.
‘More dan 1000 direct jobs on di line’
USAID intervention for Nigeria na majorly for di health sector, but e also cut across education, humanitarian assistance, environment, and even governance, etc.
According to USAID strategy document wey cover August 2020 to August 2025, dia goal for Nigeria na to partner wit di govment, private sector and civil society “to advance toward a healthier, more educated, prosperous, stable, and resilient Nigeria”.
Di American agency dey carry out dia health programmes through contracts to dia partner organisations while dem go dey monitor implementation.
One top oga for one of such organisations tell BBC Pidgin on condition of anonymity say if di rumours about di shutting down of USAID bicom true, e go make more dan 1000 pipo to lose dia jobs for Nigeria.
“For my organisation alone, we get a staff strength of almost two hundred working on di Global Health Supply Chain – Procurement and Supply Management project. And e get oda similar projects and oda contractors working on each of dis projects, so you can imagine how many jobs fit dey at risk,” e tok.
“Already, many pipo don stop work now until dat 90 days and e no clear weda di organisation go pay dem. So di whole tin dey give evribody big concern.”
Anoda person, Rosekate Atereiro, wey dey work as health volunteer worker for General Hospital Brass for Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria, tok say she too dey at risk of losing her job.
“Di NGO I dey work with don tell us make we hold on small so dem go fit assess di situation on weda or not we go continue di work we dey do. Dis na bicos di NGO dey funded by di WHO and USAID. Dem try to pay us dis January but since February we neva go work,” Atereiro tok.
Health programs fit suffer setback
According to di US foreign assistance website, USAID intervention for di Nigeria health sector include to combat diseases like HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and also for maternity and child health.
For 2024, di intervention on HIV/AIDS alone dey more dan $140 million.
“HIV/AIDS medications dey very expensive and if e no be for di help from US, I no think say Nigeria go fit cope wit di cost of combating di disease effectively for di kontri,” di oga for di USAID partner organisation tell BBC Pidgin.
“If dis funding dey cut off, e mean say dis patients no go fit access dis life-saving medications wey dey help dem to live dia normal life.
For instance di cost of one of dis HIV medicines no dey less dan $15, so check how many pipo wey fit afford dem. And programs like HIV and Tuberculosis, you need to keep up wit your medication regularly bicos if you stop at any point, e go be like you are starting all over again.”
E add say di health centres wia dem dey distribute dis medicines don dey talk say dia stock dey low, and if dem no fit supply dem as soon as possible, problem don dey.
For her own side for Bayelsa State, Rosekate Atereiro tok say her major concern na di patients and non-detected cases wey dey live for rural communities wey dia NGO bin dey cater for bifor through community outreaches.
“Dis pipo dey find am difficult to come to health centres for di mainland bicos dem dey live for creeks and villages wey dey accessible only by boat,” she tok.
“Asides from HIV and tuberculosis medication, we get oda programs like elephantiasis and deworming and all of dat don stop now. If tins continue like dis, na di common man go hear am pass.”
Remember also dat di US through USAID bin donate 10,000 dozes of Mpox vaccines to Nigeria for August 2024 to tackle di outbreak wey bin dey go on dat time.
‘We dey mindful of changes to foreign aid’ – NACA
Meanwhile, in response to di executive order by Donald Trump, di National Agency for di Control of AIDS (NACA) release a statement and thank di Trump administration for granting waiver to allow for di distribution of medicines and medical services to continue.
Di statement signed by NACA Director-General Temitope Ilori, acknowledge say di intervention by di United States of America dey cover approximately 90% of di total HIV/AIDS treatment burden for Nigeria through di Presidential Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), a project wey dey funded by USAID.
Madam Ilori tok say di Nigeria goment “dey mindful of di potential change to foreign aid in di near future under di new (US) administration”, adding dat goment go “intensify domestic resource mobilisation strategy towards ownership and sustainability of di HIV response for di kontri”.
“Nigeria fit still achieve di target of ending AIDS by 2030,” di statement add.