When listeners in northern Nigeria tuned into Voice of America (VOA) last month, many were met with music in place of their usual programming — a signal that, historically, hinted at a serious national disruption. “Was there a coup in the US?” one listener asked VOA journalist Babangida Jibrin, who recalled receiving a flood of worried calls after the US-funded station abruptly went off the air on Friday.
According to AFP, the disappearance of VOA’s Hausa-language service, once a vital link to international news for tens of millions across West Africa, marks the impact of funding cuts implemented during Donald Trump’s presidency. The now-shuttered Hausa service, based in Nigeria, reached audiences in rural Ghana, Niger, and Cameroon, where traditional print media is sparse and internet connectivity remains unreliable.
“People are now cut off from news, especially international news,” said Moussa Jaharou, a listener from southern Niger. The service, especially critical in conflict-prone and underserved regions, had offered not just daily news but health information on diseases like HIV and malaria — information that is now inaccessible to many.
Established during World War II as a counter to Nazi propaganda, VOA expanded significantly during the Cold War. While funded by the US government, it maintained a reputation in Nigeria for balanced, professional journalism. But under Trump, accusations of politicization surfaced, and the broadcaster’s budget was sharply reduced in his second term.
The closure is not the end of Hausa-language media — an industry that still serves around 80 million speakers — but it is a significant blow. VOA’s extensive network of local stringers had helped deliver trusted information to hard-to-reach rural areas, offering a perspective not always available through local outlets perceived as influenced by political or business interests.
“It’s really, really a shame,” said Sadibou Marong, West Africa chief at Reporters Without Borders, noting that VOA had maintained coverage in volatile regions affected by armed groups, including areas where other journalists were pressured to favor the military narrative.
The shutdown is being challenged in a US court. It comes as global press freedom faces new challenges — Radio France Internationale (RFI) has been banned in Niger, including its Hausa broadcasts, while the BBC has faced a three-month suspension in the country.
Radio’s influence in northern Nigeria dates back to 1944, when British authorities established stations in Kano to reach populations with low English literacy. VOA Hausa, founded in 1979, tapped into this tradition, airing on local partner stations and reaching millions in isolated areas.
Nigerian listener Muhammad Mukhtar, who has listened to VOA since childhood, said the loss goes beyond news updates. “I still have not come to terms with this shocking reality,” he said, lamenting the end of in-depth programming on health, religion, and political debates like the flagship “Hot Seat.”
Former reporter Alhassan Bala recalled the outlet’s solutions-based journalism — such as a feature on a Kaduna inventor using drones to detect crop diseases — and stories that prompted government investigations, including one about heavy metal exposure from mining in Zamfara State.
The shutdown has also meant job losses for journalists who dedicated years to the service. Jibrin, recalling the dangers of reporting during Nigeria’s Sani Abacha dictatorship, broke down in tears. “There are places we used to go where they would address us as CIA agents,” he said. “So now who will have the last laugh?”
Bala, who runs a Hausa fact-checking site called Alkalanci, received the news while working on a story. “I just said, ‘Oh my God.’ This is bad,” he said — then turned back to work, convinced his fact-checking efforts were now more necessary than ever.