US funding cut affected 250,000 lives in Yobe – Gov’t

The Yobe State Government has disclosed that over 250,000 people have been affected following the United States’ Executive stop-work order signed by President Donald Trump in 2025.

The Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA), Dr Muhammad Goje, made this known during a breakfast show monitored by our correspondent.

He stated that, for more than a decade, the United States has been the largest and most consistent donor to humanitarian operations in Northeast Nigeria’s BAY states — Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe — funding life-saving food assistance, nutrition, healthcare, protection services, and support for displaced families.

According to Goje, the suspension of US funding has directly affected more than 250,000 people in Yobe State, adding that the new funding posture has forced humanitarian agencies to consolidate operations, compete for limited resources, or withdraw entirely.

He explained that among the 250,000 affected individuals, about 13,000 are out-of-school children, while others include internally displaced persons (IDPs), survivors requiring gender-based violence (GBV) protection, and beneficiaries of health services, jobs, and other humanitarian sectors.

“In 2024, the Nigeria Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) required US$926.5 million to assist 4.4 million people. Of this amount, about US$556m was received, with the United States contributing approximately US$316m, around 57% of the total funding, making it by far the single largest donor,” he said.

On food security, Goje noted that due to the stop-work order, over 650 metric tons of food distributed monthly by the World Food Programme (WFP) will cease from February 2026. The food assistance currently supports about 65,000 households each month.

He further revealed that across the North-East, about 2,508 humanitarian workers have lost their jobs as a result of the funding suspension, affecting thousands of dependent family members.

According to him, the state government has begun implementing measures aimed at reducing the funding gap created by the aid withdrawal.

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