Nigerian listeners react to Trump’s VOA Hausa closure

Listeners of the popular Voice Of America (VOA) Hausa radio service in Northern Nigeria and other neighbouring countries have turned to other stations for their news updates after the radio station stopped transmitting.

The station was affected by a recent executive order by US President Donald Trump.

Mr Trump announced an executive order on 15 March, to effectively dismantle the US Agency for Global Media, which supervises VOA. Following the order, the head of VOA said all of its 1,300 journalists and staff had been put on administrative leave.

The VOA, through its various language stations worldwide, provides news and commentary to hundreds of millions of people.

In Nigeria, the VOA Hausa service is one of the popular international radio stations in northern Nigeria, alongside the BBC Hausa Service.

However, many listeners who had grown accustomed to VOA Hausa’s daily news programmes have turned to other local and international stations.

The station operated from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily until recently when it stopped transmitting.

Hussaini Lawal, a frequent listener, told PREMIUM TIMES that “On that faithful day, I think, three weeks ago, I tuned in to the VOA at 6 a.m., and there was nothing happening.

“It had never happened before, so I waited for other stations. Later in the day, I heard about the Trump order stopping funding for the organisation.”

Mr Lawal said he has since moved on to other stations.

Zainab Mohammed, a retired school teacher in Kaduna, also commented on the American president’s decision to cut off funding for the VOA and its possible impact.

“Although it is his country, this is a call for us to build our own radio landscape. We shouldn’t be worried about other countries’ services. I will miss it, but it is okay. We have our own that are good now, we will listen to them.

“My only worry is the staff of the station. Where would they go?”

Musa Ayuba, a 72-year-old resident of Funtua, Katsina State, said he has been a devoted listener of VOA for over 35 years.

“Now I don’t hear from them again. I have always enjoyed their stories. And you know they can get our elites to speak to them even if our local stations can’t get them.”

Mr Ayuba said he believes Nigeria now has local radio stations “that can compete with the VOA.”

“We are not going to really miss them now,” he said.

Tukur Zubar, a regular VOA Hausa listener in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, expressed disappointment over VOA’s sudden shutdown but believes local media can fill the void.

“We have good news outlets like Premium Times Hausa, Freedom Radio, Vision Radio and many other local stations that are giving us good and reliable Hausa news,” he said. “For the staff that will be going, it is bad. But for our own local station and growth, it is that time we should triumph,” he said.

VOA’s Digital print

Apart from its radio station, the VOA Hausa also reaches a large audience, particularly younger people, via its website.

A check by PREMIUM TIMES on the VOA Hausa website, which had regular updates, revealed that updates stopped on 15 March.

Other digital posts, including short news trailers, news highlights and online radio podcasts, were last updated on 3 March.

VOA Hausa journalists speak

Journalists at the VOA Hausa expressed their disappointment with the situation to Daily Trust. One journalist, Jubrin, said, “There are places we used to go where they would address us as CIA agents” during Nigeria’s military era.

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“So now who will have the last laugh?” he asked, unsure how he would be able to provide for his family.

Another affected journalist, Alhassan Bala, said the VOA will be remembered for its “solutions-based journalism,” such as the story of a young inventor in Kaduna who used drones to monitor crop diseases.

Background

Established during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA expanded during the Cold War between Russia and the Soviet Union.

Established and funded by the US government, many considered it a propaganda tool. Others, however, commended the station for its journalism and diversity.

VOA Hausa

The VOA Hausa Service was established on 21 January 1979.

Hausa is primarily a West African language spoken by close to 60 million Africans in the region. VOA Hausa’s research estimates a weekly audience of 16.9 million for its programmes.

In addition to its news reports and interviews, the Hausa service had a weekly 20-radio feature for its audience.