In Konduga, a rural community in Borno, a once-thriving healthcare facility run by Family Health International (FHI360) stood served as a lifeline for many Nigerians.
Here, over 200 patients daily found refuge, receiving medical assistance and nutritional supplements for malnourished children.
But now, its doors have been shut, according to Humangle Media, casting a long shadow over the community it served.
Grim realisation
Yana Modu, a mother determined to keep her three-year-old healthy, approached the clinic with her usual routine in mind.
She was met with a stern, unyielding response from a security guard: “Zakkata”—it is closed. “I was told they are not opening again,” she said, “How can I get drugs and also feed my baby?”
Her visit marked a week since President Donald Trump had signed an executive order suspending all US foreign assistance for 90 days, starting January 20.
For Nigeria, a country where many residents depend on US-funded programmes for survival, the abrupt decision plunged vulnerable communities into deeper uncertainty.
Community abandoned
Borno State, a region already ravaged by decades of conflict, has long relied on humanitarian aid.
Now, primary healthcare centres and nutrition clinics, like the one in Konduga, are shutting down, leaving many without the lifeline they once had.
“The people we see daily have nowhere to go apart from the NGO-funded facilities,” said Amina Yusuf, a nutritionist who had worked at the clinic for over three years. “Without these services, the risk for them is severe. Many now have no options, and complications during childbirth could become fatal,” she told Humangle.
Ripple effect
The United States has been Nigeria’s largest bilateral donor, contributing approximately $9.27 billion in aid over the past decade.
Yet, the suspension of US aid has put these critical services in jeopardy. The executive order, issued without prior warning, immediately halted several key humanitarian programmes, including healthcare, food aid, education, and emergency response efforts.
International and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had already started laying off staff and shutting down vital programmes. The sudden closure of the Konduga facility is a stark reminder of the precarious balance on which these communities survive.
