• 60% of UN funding for North-East operations withdrawn
• There are gaps, but we are coping, says Yobe commissioner
• ILO axes 221 staff, WHO to shed 25% salary expenditure
• An opportunity to introspect, think ‘Nigeria first’, says envoy
• Nigeria, others must restrategise to survive UN funding shake-up, experts say

Donor fatigue and attendant financial shortfall rocking international aid agencies are beginning to unsettle sundry interventions in the Nigerian health system across states.

With the health sector a top earner of foreign interventions and aid disbursements, various healthcare centres, ancillary offices, and projects are gradually feeling the pinch.

In the wake of the United States suspending foreign aid programmes and the United Nations (UN) hinting at massive scale down of operations globally, The Guardian learnt that over 400 staff across the UN agencies in Nigeria have been affected by job cuts, while several projects have stopped abruptly, including some hospitals supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The agency reportedly channels over $200 million yearly into the country’s health system, with a significant focus on HIV/AIDS programmes.

Data obtained from the UN offices showed that the cut has led to a halt in operations at 331 Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs), and suspension of 55 mobile health teams, while $16 million worth of projects affecting nearly two million people have been scrapped.

Also, findings revealed that about 60 per cent of the UN funding for the North-East operations in 2024 was provided by the U.S., but this significant funding has been withdrawn this year.

A credible source told The Guardian that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is planning to scale down operations in Nigeria and nine other countries, adding that in some areas, the organisation is outrightly closing down.

These funds are distributed through the Federal Ministry of Health, state ministries, and aid organisations working to combat infectious diseases and malnutrition, particularly in the BAY (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe) states. However, the recent USAID funding freeze has left Nigeria’s already fragile health system under severe strain amid a rising disease burden.

Sources revealed that USAID-funded initiatives have been pivotal in disease surveillance and outbreak response, as well as in treating obstetric fistulas, distributing insecticide-treated mosquito nets, maintaining vaccine and medicine storage facilities, and supporting maternal and child health. Additionally, these programmes provided essential medical supplies, including surgical gloves.

Many of these activities have now been suspended, with the funding freeze threatening to eliminate over 1,000 jobs in the health sector across both the NGO and public domains. FHI 360, one of 12 NGOs affected by the freeze, had over 170 staff deployed on U.S.-funded projects in the BAY states. These teams supported more than 40,000 individuals across health, nutrition, protection, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and education.

Furthermore, a five-year project aimed at training doctors, nurses, midwives, and surgeons has been brought to a halt, compounding the challenges faced by Nigeria’s healthcare system.

$5.1b shortfall in global health interventions
The UN is grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis, as a staggering $5.1 billion in unpaid dues from member States threatens to cripple its ability to carry out critical global interventions.

Amid financial strain and growing global challenges, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, pushed for wide-ranging structural reforms to enhance the world body’s effectiveness.

Guterres outlined extensive efforts to revamp how the UN system operates by cutting costs, streamlining operations, and modernising its approach to peace and security, development, and human rights.

With $2.4 billion in overdue regular budget contributions and another $2.7 billion shortfall in peacekeeping funds, the UN has been forced to adopt drastic measures, including cutting spending, freezing hiring, and scaling back essential services worldwide.

According to information provided by the UN Controller to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), only $1.8 billion has been received against the $3.5 billion regular budget assessments for 2025 – a shortfall of around 50 per cent.

As of April 30, unpaid assessments stood at $2.4 billion, with the United States owing about $1.5 billion, China ($597 million), Russia ($72 million), Saudi Arabia ($42 million), Mexico ($38 million), and Venezuela ($38 million). An additional $137 million is yet to be paid by other Member States.

A source told The Guardian that apart from the U.S., the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and some other countries have expressed their desire to cut down on foreign aid and focus on internal security.

As of 2025, the United Nations maintains a substantial presence in Nigeria, employing a significant number of staff across various agencies. A breakdown of the workforce of some UN agencies in Nigeria shows that while UNICEF has approximately 415 staff members employed across its country office in Abuja and nine field offices, around 130 consultants support various programmes. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has over 200 personnel working on sustainable development and governance programmes.

In addition, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has about 95 staff members focusing on food security and agricultural development.
DUE to the significant funding shortfall, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has already cut about 225 jobs, while the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced a 20 per cent reduction in its global workforce due to a $58 million funding shortfall. Nigeria is among the 10 countries affected by these cuts, which may impact the number of UN staff operating within the country.

In addition, WHO is reducing its workforce due to a 21 per cent budget cut. The reduction includes downsizing departments and senior management positions, and a 25 per cent reduction in salary expenditures.

Though the reduction is global, it could potentially impact WHO’s work in Nigeria, including its health programmes and support for the country’s health workforce.

We saw it coming…
Yesterday, the Yobe State Commissioner for Health, Dr Mohammed Lawan Gana, told The Guardian that the U.S. withdrawal of funding was taking its toll on the state, especially in the area of Malaria, HIV, TB prevention and care, coupled with reproductive, maternal and child health services, and other health systems strengthening that are being supported by USAID.

Gana, however, noted that the state government had envisaged the funding drought and had put in place a sustainability programme to bridge the anticipated gaps in the health system in the state. He said: “What is critical for the HIV programme now is the test kits. Luckily, we have stocks of drugs that will last over six months. The state government is also working on procuring rapid test kits to avoid stockouts. So, the state is working assiduously to bridge the gap created by the funding cuts.

“When you have a support that is coming in and then the support is suddenly withdrawn, obviously there would be a gap, but the impact is now minimised. We have an MoU with Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote and UNICEF towards strengthening primary health,” Gana said.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations agencies will also have to slash jobs because of funding cuts, mainly from the United States. Officials have warned that the reductions will severely affect aid programmes worldwide.

Other bodies, like UNICEF, also plan to announce cuts that would impact around 20 per cent of staff and overall budgets. A credible source at UN OCHA, in an interview with The Guardian, said: “The UN OCHA had to do a 20 per cent scale down on the total global workforce. We are currently a workforce of about 2,600. So, by the end of our prioritisation, when we remove 20 per cent of that workforce, we will be left with about 2,100. That affects almost all the agencies under the UN. So, that’s just the broad picture.

“The structure is just to have very little or no presence in the nine countries where we’re currently working. Nigeria is one of those. Currently, in UN OCHA, the workforce is about 67. By the end of this year, we’ll be looking at scaling down to 58 and subsequently to 28.”

‘A rebranding of international power equations’
Speaking on the development, former Nigerian Head of Mission to Singapore and former spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, told The Guardian that “what we are witnessing is a rebranding of international power equations”.

He noted that America might have seen itself as no longer able to carry the burden of being the policeman of the world and is, therefore, trying to shed some of its financial responsibilities. He added that this development, in the immediate term, will affect UN operations in certain areas across the globe, with long-term implications.

He said: “If other powers, other economies step up their participation, perhaps the Chinese to fill up the gap. And, you see, as they are going to step up their financial commitment—the Russians, perhaps, some members of the Arab world, perhaps Brazil, and other powers.

“So, what we are seeing is a reset of global power equations away from the unipolar hegemonic power relations, where the U.S. is number one, and all others fall in place behind it, to where we are going to begin to have a multipolar power equation across the globe.

“So, there is going to be a filling of the gap. By who? I don’t know. And to what extent? In terms of how much? I don’t know.” The former envoy observed that though the situation the UN has found itself in today is very worrisome, it presents a painful experience and also opportunities for growth and development.

He said: “With the advent of Donald Trump as POTUS 2.0, he is resetting the U.S. button in multifaceted ways, with one objective in mind: America first, or his MAGA project, ‘Make America Great Again.’ From his perspective, the best way to achieve this is to cut down on American commitments globally. Don’t forget that America and its other partners in the West are the architects of globalisation. Therefore, it’s intriguing that the architects and the authors of globalisation are the ones superintending the recession of the same phenomenon called globalisation.

He cautioned that the financial crisis presents an opportunity for Nigeria to look inward and also begin to think “Nigeria first.”

“The authors of globalisation are beginning to say, ‘Well, we don’t want globalisation again’. So, why don’t we begin to think of Nigeria first? We have everything, but possibly, if it is possible, lock up the entire border of Nigeria for the next four to five years. Yes, and let us face what it is. We have the human resources, we have the market, we have the material resources. What we lack is political discipline.”

New era of zero freebies: Is Nigeria ready?
HOWEVER, a Research Professor at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs (NIIA), Femi Otubanjo, warned that this shortfall from the UN and other major contributors could worsen Nigeria’s already fragile health and social welfare systems if the country fails to reprioritise its national budget.

Reflecting on the UN’s contributions to Nigeria, Otubanjo highlighted the organisation’s efforts as a significant achievement in advancing human welfare.

He noted that the UN has played a crucial role in supporting social services and providing aid to communities affected by conflict. Otubanjo also pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a clear example of the UN’s impact, particularly through the World Health Organisation’s leadership and effective response during the crisis. He expressed deep concern about Nigeria’s capacity to fill the funding gaps, pointing to the country’s long-standing underinvestment in the health sector.

The don highlighted maternal health as a critical area of concern, noting that Nigeria continues to record the highest maternal mortality rate globally, with more children dying at birth than in any other country. He emphasised that the nation has consistently failed to adequately fund its health system and stressed the urgent need for increased commitment and efficiency.

“The evidence points to incompetence. Even our leaders go abroad for basic medical tests. What commitment do they show towards funding our own healthcare system? It’s not that we cannot afford it, it’s that we would not do it. The problem is leadership responsibility. Budgets are filled with line items for luxury SUVs, not hospital beds or essential drugs,” he explained.

Calling for a cultural shift among Nigeria’s political elite, Otubanjo said, “Our leaders need to see that public service is not about comfort, it’s about strategy and impact. If we are to replace UN support with national efforts, we must be ready to make the hard choices. That includes cutting unnecessary luxuries and investing in what matters.”

The Chairman, International Advisory Board, American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology, Prof. Titus Ibekwe, told The Guardian that this change in policy by the UN would adversely affect developing nations who, over the years, have tilted their policies to palpably lean on the aid and social welfare structures of the UN and its faculties for survival.

He warned that it is time for all, especially developing countries, including Nigeria, to re-strategise and prioritise their needs to survive the shake-up of all UN-related national and international activities across the globe. “The time for a pragmatic reform is now,” he said.

A Professor of Political Science at Lagos State University (LASU), Kayode Soremekun, urged Nigerians to view the possible reduction in UN assistance from a more optimistic standpoint.

Soremekun noted that while the development is concerning, it also presents an opportunity for the country to take greater ownership of its challenges.

According to the don, Nigeria possesses the financial and human resources not only to meet its own needs but also to support other African nations if its resources are managed effectively.

He criticised the wasteful spending habits of institutions such as the National Assembly, arguing that even a fraction of those funds if properly allocated, would be sufficient to address many of the country’s pressing problems.

Soremekun warned that continued dependence on international aid risks keeping Nigeria perpetually subordinate to global agencies. He stressed that the core issue is not a lack of resources but rather a chronic misappropriation of funds. He cited the exorbitant amounts spent on elections as an example, stating that such funds could be redirected to tackle major health challenges within the country.