Latest news with #Hundeyin
Russia Today
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Western NGOs are political influence tools
Western non-governmental organizations (NGO) have long served as instruments of influence, even when ostensibly operating outside of politics, Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin has said. Speaking to RT, Hundeyin noted that for decades both declassified intelligence documents and local experiences in countries such as Nigeria had indicated that organizations under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) umbrella were key players in 'successful regime change operations.' Hundeyin emphasized that even NGOs dedicated to social causes – such as helping single mothers or conducting charitable work – often acted as subtle extensions of influence operations. Commenting on the impact of recent US funding cuts, Hundeyin explained that the consequences have been profound, particularly in the Global South. He described the NGO sector in Nigeria as heavily dependent on American financial support. With funding drying up, he said the so-called 'NGO industrial complex' has been decimated. Hundeyin suggested that even organizations which previously claimed to be independent were now facing scrutiny, as the withdrawal of funds revealed their deep ties to US intelligence and diplomatic structures. Across Africa, the collapse of financial support has led to mass layoffs in the NGO sector, unpaid salaries, abandoned projects, and a sharp decline in 'astroturfing' efforts that once shaped local narratives. 'It's almost completely broken down now, because it turns out that once you've turned off the funding tap, these people are really not as strong as they might have presented themselves,' Hundeyin said. When asked about the broader footprint of US-backed NGOs across Africa, Hundeyin said the phenomenon was widespread. He pointed to Ghana and particularly Kenya, describing it as 'basically the NGO capital of Africa, possibly of the entire Global South.' He stated that NGO activity has been so extensive in Nairobi that it has influenced local economies, including real estate prices. In March, Nigerian lawmakers launched an inquiry into over a dozen NGOs following allegations that USAID funded terrorism in the country. The House of Representatives requested financial records from 2015 to 2024, aiming to investigate funding sources and expenditures. The move follows US Congressman Scott Perry's claims that USAID funneled money to groups such as Boko Haram. US officials have denied the accusations. NGO leaders, including Transparency International Nigeria and Global Rights, have condemned the probe. In February, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it was terminating 90% of USAID contracts. The administration cited a failure to advance America's national interests, and effectively halted $60 billion in humanitarian spending worldwide.
Russia Today
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Western NGOs serve as tools of political influence
Western non-governmental organizations (NGO) have long served as instruments of influence, even when ostensibly operating outside of politics, Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin has said. Speaking to RT, Hundeyin noted that for decades both declassified intelligence documents and local experiences in countries such as Nigeria had indicated that organizations under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) umbrella were key players in 'successful regime change operations.' Hundeyin emphasized that even NGOs dedicated to social causes – such as helping single mothers or conducting charitable work – often acted as subtle extensions of influence operations. Commenting on the impact of recent US funding cuts, Hundeyin explained that the consequences have been profound, particularly in the Global South. He described the NGO sector in Nigeria as heavily dependent on American financial support. With funding drying up, he said the so-called 'NGO industrial complex' has been decimated. Hundeyin suggested that even organizations which previously claimed to be independent were now facing scrutiny, as the withdrawal of funds revealed their deep ties to US intelligence and diplomatic structures. Across Africa, the collapse of financial support has led to mass layoffs in the NGO sector, unpaid salaries, abandoned projects, and a sharp decline in 'astroturfing' efforts that once shaped local narratives. 'It's almost completely broken down now, because it turns out that once you've turned off the funding tap, these people are really not as strong as they might have presented themselves,' Hundeyin said. When asked about the broader footprint of US-backed NGOs across Africa, Hundeyin said the phenomenon was widespread. He pointed to Ghana and particularly Kenya, describing it as 'basically the NGO capital of Africa, possibly of the entire Global South.' He stated that NGO activity has been so extensive in Nairobi that it has influenced local economies, including real estate prices. In March, Nigerian lawmakers launched an inquiry into over a dozen NGOs following allegations that USAID funded terrorism in the country. The House of Representatives requested financial records from 2015 to 2024, aiming to investigate funding sources and expenditures. The move follows US Congressman Scott Perry's claims that USAID funneled money to groups such as Boko Haram. US officials have denied the accusations. NGO leaders, including Transparency International Nigeria and Global Rights, have condemned the probe. In February, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it was terminating 90% of USAID contracts. The administration cited a failure to advance America's national interests, and effectively halted $60 billion in humanitarian spending worldwide.
Russia Today
16-04-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Tariffs won't fix US economic problems
Imposing tariffs cannot resolve the deep-rooted structural inefficiencies in the US economy, Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin has told RT. Hundeyin argued that the ideological rigidity driving Washington's current policy risks aggravating short-term damage rather than addressing long-term contradictions in America's economic role. 'The economic inefficiency cannot be solved by merely imposing tariffs,' Hundeyin said. He added that the global economic order has depended on a model in which production is outsourced, largely to Asia and South America, while consumption remains centered in the US. 'That's the world order that the US consciously and knowingly built,' he stressed. Hundeyin pointed out that domestic labor conditions in the US have long been tailored to serve a consumption-driven economy rather than an industrial one. Read more How Trump's trade policies could spell disaster for this region He cited the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who once noted that iPhones aren't made in China because of cheap labor, but because of the country's enormous pool of skilled workers. The scale of that skilled labor force, Hundeyin explained, is unmatched in the US, where, as Jobs famously remarked, such a workforce could fit in 'a room,' while in China it would fill several 'stadiums.' Hundeyin believes the people surrounding US President Donald Trump are not blind to economic realities. He described the broader vision in Trump's circle as an 'ideological thing,' particularly by the belief that AI and automation would enable the return of manufacturing to American soil without the need for foreign labor. Hundeyin, however, questioned what this would mean for the US workforce. 'What is then going to happen to 300 million Americans who would have effectively been rendered obsolete overnight?' he asked. Hundeyin suggested that China may see this situation 'as an opportunity to fundamentally reshape the economic makeup of the entire world.' READ MORE: World's top cocoa producer threatens price hikes in response to US tariffs – Reuters Earlier this month, Trump imposed higher 'reciprocal' tariffs on nearly 90 countries, later announcing a 90-day pause and a reduced 10% rate – excluding China, whose imports now face a 145% duty. Twenty African nations were hit with increased tariffs, including Lesotho (50%), Madagascar (47%), and South Africa (30%).
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nigerian journalist falsely claims USAID budget larger than CIA, State Department combined
'The budget for USAID is more than that of the CIA and the States Department put together. It is between 40 and 50 billion dollars annually. Essentially, the USAID functions as a sort of slush fund of the US intelligence community (sic),' Hundeyin said in an online interview with Nigerian broadcaster News Central on February 16, 2024. Hundeyin was a guest on the broadcaster's morning show. At the start of the two-minute video, Hundeyin called USAID 'basically a law unto itself' and described it as a terrorist 'slush fund' that enjoys a larger annual budget than what the CIA and State Department together receive from the government. He published a longer segment of the interview a day later on his X account, which has more than a million followers. Hundeyin is the founder of a newsletter covering West African politics and is an ardent critic of the Nigerian government. He is currently based in Ghana and has claimed his life would be in danger if he returned home because of his work as a journalist (archived here). Hundeyin has been the subject of previous debunks here and here (archived here). His latest claim about USAID funding is also false, according to online fiscal data. AFP Fact Check searched government records and found that the State Department's budget for 2024 was $87 billion. The year before it was $84 billion, slightly up from $83 billion in 2022. In 2021, it was $80 billion (archived here). A comparison shows the USAID budget for the fiscal year 2024 was $44 billion, $50 billion in 2023, $47 billion in 2022 and $37.4 billion in 2021 (archived here). On its own, the State Department's funding is almost twice what USAID has received. The CIA budget, meanwhile, is considered top secret and access is restricted on grounds of national security (archived here). But, even if Hundeyin was privy to the figures, they would serve to further repudiate his claim. Shortly after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order implementing a 90-day pause in US foreign development aid, pending a review (archived here). The funding freeze has disrupted various global humanitarian aid efforts and impactfully put almost all of the USAID employees on leave (archived here). The move is being challenged by labour unions and the opposition Democrats, who say the president needs approval from the legislature to shutter a government agency. Despite this, the Trump administration has moved to fold the aid agency into the State Department (archived here and here). From Africa to Latin America, governments are scrambling to fill the shortfalls caused by the freeze on aid funding from the US (archived here and here). The interview with Hundeyin also covered an allegation by Republican lawmaker Scott Perry that USAID funded global terrorist organisations like Boko Haram. Active in Nigeria since 2009, Boko Haram insurgents have killed thousands of people and displaced millions, especially in the country's northeastern region. Perry's accusation came during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on February 12, 2025 (archived here). Responding to Perry's accusation, the US ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills told local media on February 19 there is no evidence USAID funded Boko Haram or any terrorist group (archived here and here). The US embassy in Nigeria posted a statement on its website further explaining it had comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems in place to help verify that aid reached its intended recipients (archived here). Since USAID's operation has been under scrutiny, it has been the target of significant disinformation (see here and here).
AFP
24-02-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Nigerian journalist falsely claims USAID budget larger than CIA, State Department combined
'The budget for USAID is more than that of the CIA and the States Department put together. It is between 40 and 50 billion dollars annually. Essentially, the USAID functions as a sort of slush fund of the US intelligence community (sic),' Hundeyin said in an online interview with Nigerian broadcaster News Central on February 16, 2024. Image Screenshot showing the false post, taken February 19, 2024 Hundeyin was a guest on the broadcaster's morning show. At the start of the two-minute video, Hundeyin called USAID 'basically a law unto itself' and described it as a terrorist 'slush fund' that enjoys a larger annual budget than what the CIA and State Department together receive from the government. He published a longer segment of the interview a day later on his X account, which has more than a million followers. Hundeyin is the founder of a newsletter covering West African politics and is an ardent critic of the Nigerian government. He is currently based in Ghana and has claimed his life would be in danger if he returned home because of his work as a journalist (archived here). Hundeyin has been the subject of previous debunks here and here (archived here). His latest claim about USAID funding is also false, according to online fiscal data. Foreign aid suspension AFP Fact Check searched government records and found that the State Department's budget for 2024 was $87 billion. The year before it was $84 billion, slightly up from $83 billion in 2022. In 2021, it was $80 billion (archived here). A comparison shows the USAID budget for the fiscal year 2024 was $44 billion, $50 billion in 2023, $47 billion in 2022 and $37.4 billion in 2021 (archived here). On its own, the State Department's funding is almost twice what USAID has received. The CIA budget, meanwhile, is considered top secret and access is restricted on grounds of national security (archived here). But, even if Hundeyin was privy to the figures, they would serve to further repudiate his claim. Shortly after his inauguration on January 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order implementing a 90-day pause in US foreign development aid, pending a review (archived here). The funding freeze has disrupted various global humanitarian aid efforts and impactfully put almost all of the USAID employees on leave (archived here). The move is being challenged by labour unions and the opposition Democrats, who say the president needs approval from the legislature to shutter a government agency. Despite this, the Trump administration has moved to fold the aid agency into the State Department (archived here and here). From Africa to Latin America, governments are scrambling to fill the shortfalls caused by the freeze on aid funding from the US (archived here and here). Terror funder The interview with Hundeyin also covered an allegation by Republican lawmaker Scott Perry that USAID funded global terrorist organisations like Boko Haram. Active in Nigeria since 2009, Boko Haram insurgents have killed thousands of people and displaced millions, especially in the country's northeastern region. Perry's accusation came during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on February 12, 2025 (archived here). Responding to Perry's accusation, the US ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills told local media on February 19 there is no evidence USAID funded Boko Haram or any terrorist group (archived here and here). The US embassy in Nigeria posted a statement on its website further explaining it had comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems in place to help verify that aid reached its intended recipients (archived here). Since USAID's operation has been under scrutiny, it has been the target of significant disinformation (see here and here).
