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USAID Accused of Funding Boko Haram and Other Terror Groups
Recent allegations have surfaced regarding the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its potential inadvertent funding of terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram.
On February 14, 2025, U.S. Congressman Scott Perry claimed during a subcommittee hearing that USAID had provided financial support to groups such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram.
Historically, USAID has been actively involved in providing humanitarian assistance to regions affected by Boko Haram’s insurgency, particularly in the Lake Chad region.
Between fiscal years 2015 and 2017, USAID had 141 active awards in this area, valued at over $1.1 billion, aiming to address the humanitarian crisis and support broader U.S. government counter-terrorism efforts.
However, challenges such as access restrictions and insecurity have limited USAID’s ability to directly monitor program activities, leading to the adoption of third-party monitoring contracts to enhance oversight.
In a recent alert dated February 10, 2025, the USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlighted ongoing concerns regarding the agency’s oversight of its humanitarian assistance programming.
The OIG emphasized the importance of robust monitoring to prevent the diversion of funds to unintended recipients, including terrorist organizations.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has paid tribute to late Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs, recalling his contributions to the creative industry and his impact on Nigeria’s cultural identity.
In his tribute, Tinubu described Jacobs as a giant of the Nigerian creative industry and said “He was a giant of the Nigerian creative industry. His passing is a great loss to Nigeria, the African film industry and the global community of lovers of the performing arts. His remarkable body of work will continue to speak to generations yet unborn.
“The nation recognises the enormous contributions of Nigeria’s creative practitioners to the country’s cultural identity, global image and economic development. Olu Jacobs played a big role in creating this identity.”
Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and consumer products in Nigeria.
Adeyanju also called for the removal of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, as well as the heads of other regulatory agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
“Nigerians are being exposed to dangerous products daily, from fake and substandard medicines to unsafe consumer goods, with reports of drugs being sold wholesale in the open under the hot sun. No responsible government should expose its citizens to such risks and expect mortality rates not to rise.”
Adeyanju also called out NAFDAC over what he described as failures in regulating the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products in the country.
It can be noted that various counterfeit products continue to circulate in Nigerian markets, while NAFDAC has also reported seizures and destruction of counterfeit, expired and substandard products.
Lagosians have lamented heavy traffic caused by ongoing construction work at Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Federal Government announced that repairs on the damaged expansion joints at Kara Bridge would begin on September 8, 2026. The project, initially scheduled to begin in August, was delayed to allow further traffic management planning due to concerns over its impact on motorists.
Since work began, traffic around the Kara area has become heavy, with Lagosians sharing updates on social media about spending two hours or more on the road.
Some commuters say the delays have made their 9-to-5 routines difficult, with several hours spent travelling to and from work.
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