Nigeria and other African countries have shut numerous clinics that were funded by USAID following recent funding cuts by US President Donal Trump. In Nigeria, clinics that once served 300 people a day in the conflict-hit Borno state have abruptly shut down, Adamu Ibrahim, a laid-off nurse, and other laid-off workers told AFP, following the withdrawal of American funding by President Donald Trump. The clinics have been closed and (there are) no more free drugs or mosquito nets, said Ibrahim.  The sudden dismantling of USAID the countrys main foreign development arm is unravelling health care systems across Africa that were built from a complicated web of national health ministries, the private sector, nonprofits and foreign aid.  As the effects of the cuts compound, the resulting damage and deaths are unlikely to end anytime soon: malaria cases will peak around the end of the rainy season, while threatened American cuts to global vaccine funding would likely be felt later in the year.  Alongside laid-off workers, malnutrition clinics have shuttered doors in Nigeria.  Rattled supply chains mean drugs are at risk of being stuck in warehouses in Mali. Children are walking miles to reach care in South Sudan for cholera care and dying along the way, and refugee camps in Kenya are facing medicine shortages. People with resources will be able to go and get drugs but the poorest of the poor, out in remote areas of Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, theyre the ones who will be cut off, said Lawrence Barat, a former senior technical advisor for the US Presidents Malaria Initiative (PMI). Theyre the ones whose children will die. Forecasts developed by ministries of health across the continent to plan for the rainy season have deep holes blown in them, said Saschveen Singh, an infectious disease specialist with Doctors Without Borders in France. In Mali, seasonal malaria chemoprevention drugs given to young children wont have an issue coming into the country but American funds were crucial for coordinating their distribution, Singh told AFP. Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the USAID-supported PMI was the primary malaria drug and test provider to government health facilities in nine provinces. Suddenly, theyll just not have drugs, and its going to be very difficult for other actors to step in, said Singh, adding her co-workers are scrambling to map out where gaps may arise. In South Sudan, USAID-funded clinics have closed amid a cholera outbreak. Children are walking hours to the next closest treatment centre, with at least five dying along the way in the countrys eastern Jonglei state, British charity Save the Children reported earlier this month. In neighbouring Kenyas Kakuma refugee camp, which hosts more than 300,000 people, protests broke out in March when it was announced rations would be lowered, and doctors are running out of medicine. All the clinics around, you can get paracetamol. But all other drugs, no, one camp elder, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP during a recent visit. At Kinkole General Hospital, in Kinshasa, doctors were recently treating 23 mpox patients isolated in tents free of charge thanks to American support. But workers have no idea if that funding will continue, despite an outbreak that has infected 16,000 and killed 1,600. Were thinking a disaster is coming, said Yvonne Walo, an epidemiologist at the centre.The post Nigeria and other African countries shut clinics over USAID funding cuts appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.

Cubana Chief Priest is once again trending, this time for his fashion choice at Obi Cubana’s 50th birthday party, and this has reignited a fierce debate among Nigerians on social media.

In a nation grappling with rising inflation, unemployment, and a steadily eroding middle class, optics matter. Symbols matter. And so, when socialite and nightlife entrepreneur Cubana Chief Priest was spotted at Obi Cubana’s 50th birthday party donning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s signature election campaign cap, Nigerians on social media wasted no time in expressing their outrage.

And rightly so.

No, celebrities and business moguls are not obligated to speak out against the government. They are not elected officials, and their wealth does not automatically convert into activism. 

But here’s the problem: if you’re not going to lend your voice to the cries of the masses, the least you can do is not mock their suffering.

Wearing the cap of a leader whose government is widely criticised for its role in the nation’s hardship at a luxury party, no less a masterclass in tone-deafness.

The Twitter court of public opinion

One of the most vocal critics, @___Nenny, summarised the sentiment many Nigerians feel.

“Nigerians idolize money way too much. People are going through real suffering, yet I’ve never seen Obi Cubana speak out against the government. Chief Priest and E-Money openly support APC, but we still idolize them. Why? Just because they’re billionaires?”

It’s not just about silence, it’s about what that silence represents. It’s about the message being broadcast when someone who has benefited immensely from a flawed system parades around aligning with power while the powerless struggle to eat.

Some users took the pragmatic stance, like @OGosaks, who wrote:

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“No billionaire with businesses all over speaks against a govt in power. All these guys empower so many people, and that’s their own way of helping. Have u seen Otedola, Jim Ovia, Dangote speak against any govt?”

No billionaire with businesses all over speaks against a govt in power. All these guys empower so many people, and that's their own way of helping. Hv u seen Otedola, Jim Ovia, Dangote speak against any govt. It is worse for Igbo billionaires if they do they will ruin their bus.

— Ébè Ogídì (@OGosaks) April 13, 2025

This isn’t false. Speaking against a sitting government can mean economic suicide for business owners, especially in a country where political power and business opportunities are often tightly intertwined. 

Nigerians idolize money way too much. People are going through real suffering, yet I’ve never seen Obi Cubana speak out against the government. Chief Priest and E-Money openly support APC, but we still idolize them, why? Just because they’re billionaires?

— 𝑵𝒆𝒏𝒚𝒆𝒏𝒘𝒂 Adaora Ugoeƺe (@___Nenny) April 13, 2025

For many of these men, their philanthropy is a calculated replacement for political activism, and perhaps it is enough for them.

@Fearthegodso expanded on this line of thought:

“Peter a billionaire who did or the likes of Onwusibe of landmark, what did they get in return? If you were a successful businesswoman with everything to lose, would you attract unnecessary attacks to yourself for a docile citizenry that will still blame you?”

Valid questions. This is not a plea for martyrdom. It is simply a call for sensitivity.

But as @___Nenny sharply observed in another tweet:

“During the End Bad Governance protests, everyone came for celebrities who stayed silent… watching them flaunt their wealth while people are starving is just cringe-worthy.”

It’s the flaunting that cuts deep. It’s the dancing in the palace while Rome burns. It’s the deafening silence on issues of national importance coupled with visual endorsements of a system that continues to fail millions.

Cubana chief priest looking for Attention to sell his music lol, we all knew you re a sell out . Your desperation stinks 😷

You re yet to show us what Hope Uzodimma you brought upon Ndi imo state has done.

Selling your people for Dorime clients time will we will remember all… pic.twitter.com/EdwTpfubqP

— Voice of Igbos (@Voiceofigbos) April 13, 2025

@RiversState001 framed the core dilemma perfectly.

“If he speaks up and the government targets his business, what will you do to help him? You will simply say he was dining with them, and now they have come for him. You should hold your politicians accountable, not business owners.”

Again, correct, but it doesn’t absolve billionaires from common sense and compassion. You can be apolitical yet not appear indifferent. You can remain silent without mocking those who don’t have the luxury of your silence.

Tone-Deaf, not treasonous

No one is saying Cubana Chief Priest’s fashion choice is a betrayal of the people. He can support whomever he wishes. The cap was not the crime; the context was. 

It was a high-profile social gathering filled with luxury, food, and flamboyance, attended by elites far removed from the economic collapse felt in the streets. Wearing a political symbol in that context, especially one so divisive, was simply unwise.

As @iamossy_ put it:

“Why would you wear a hat with a political insignia to a non-political social event such as a birthday party where the attendees came from all spheres of political parties?”

That’s not just a question, it’s a diagnosis of the crisis of awareness among Nigeria’s elite.

A 9-year old girl identified as Testimony was burnt to d3ath in a fire that engulfed an apartment in the Samakinwa area of Ondo town, the headquarters of Ondo West Local Government area of Ondo State, was The minor, who was reportedly mentally challenged, was said to have been locked inside one of the rooms in a four-bedroom flat by her guardian, who had gone to church when the unfortunate incident occurred.  According to eyewitnesses, the fire started around 4:00 pm on Monday, April 14, 2025 and was allegedly caused by an electrical surge.  The inferno engulfed the building, destroying several properties belonging to the occupants.  Tragically, the young girl was trapped inside and burned beyond recognition.  Despite frantic efforts by residents, especially the youths in the area, to rescue her, their attempts were unsuccessful as the door to the room was securely locked. Sympathisers later broke into the room and recovered the charred remains of the girl. The remains of the victim were placed in a corner of the compound as grieving occupants and neighbours wept and lamented the incident.   The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Yaba Division, CSP Victor Olowolagba, led a team of officers to the scene to commence investigation.  He confirmed that four persons had been invited for questioning as part of efforts to determine the exact cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the childs d3ath Olowolagba assured the community that the police would thoroughly investigate the incident.  The remains of the girl, who was said to have been ill for some time, were later evacuated to a yet-to-be-disclosed morgue. Reacting to the tragedy, the youth leader of the area, Comrade Akinbinuade Akinyemi, expressed sorrow over the incident and decried the recurring cases of fire outbreaks in the community.  Reacting to the tragedy, the Youth Leader of the area, Comrade Akinbinuade Akinyemi, expressed sorrow over the incident and decried the recurring cases of fire outbreaks in the communityThe post 9-year-old girl locked up by her guardian burnt to d3ath in Ondo house fire appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.