Safiu Kehinde
Popular Nigerian human rights activist, Rinu Oduala, has warned over the possibility of the alleged terrorism funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) inciting extremists attack on aid workers and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs).
Rinu gave the warning in a post on her X handle on Monday.
In what she described as dangerous misinformation, the activist held that attributing all terrorism funding to the USAID only served the US government’s narratives which government of other countries can use to shut down their civic space.
“This dangerous misinformation about every dissent being “USAID-funded” only serves the government narrative.
“If unchecked can even incite extremist attacks on aid workers and NGOs. In fact, the government will eventually use a form of the ongoing misinformation as a pretext to shut down the civic space under the guise of “national security.”
“Narratives like “USAID/America funded xyz to destroy our country” will reign. Anyway, let me get back to my “NGO funds.” Rinu wrote.
Recall that the U.S President, Donald Trump, directed the scrap of USAID following his assumption to office.
The directive had seen the agency laid off its workers across the globe.
NPO reported that a US Congressman, Scott Perry, would spark the ongoing controversies surrounding USAID as he accused the agency of funding terrorist groups such as Islamic States, Al Qaeda, and Boko Haram.