“People are now cut off from news, especially international news,” – Moussa Jaharou, longtime listener from Niger.
When Voice of America’s Hausa service went silent last month, northern Nigerian listeners panicked. “Was there a coup in the US?” one caller asked, VOA journalist Babangida Jibrin recalled. The US-funded station, known for trusted news and health broadcasts across rural West Africa, abruptly went off air following cuts by former President Donald Trump.
“People are now cut off from news, especially international news,” said Moussa Jaharou, a longtime listener from Niger.
Launched in 1979, the Hausa service had reached millions with in-depth journalism, including on health, religion, and local politics. “I still have not come to terms with this shocking reality,” said Nigerian listener Muhammad Mukhtar.
The shutdown, now contested in US courts, has left journalists and communities grappling with the fallout.