Aid Matter for Naija: Wetin USAID Fit Do

I go break this matter down for you so e go dey clear. You see, the wahala wey dey happen for northeastern Nigeria no be today, and one of the biggest problem be say, even though international aid dey come with good intention, e still dey enter wrong hand. Imagine say person wan help you with food, but before e reach your hand, some bad belle people don hijack am. Na wetin don happen for that side.

Back for 2017, Nigerian government confirm say more than half of the aid wey dem suppose give people wey Boko Haram wahala don pursue comot for their house, no even reach them. E just vanish like magic.

This one show say the system get serious leakage, and groups like Boko Haram sabi how to take advantage of dat kain thing. If dem fit collect aid, whether na food, medicine or even money, dem go use am take boost their operation, instead of make e help the innocent people wey really need am.

Wetin come even make the matter worse na say some big international NGOs, like Action Against Hunger, don get case wey people accuse them say aid wey dem dey share, somehow, dey land for Boko Haram hand. Dem don defend say dem no get hand for that kain thing, but even the fact say e fit happen don make plenty people dey reason say, “Wait o, this humanitarian aid sef, e dey help or e dey add to problem?”

As e be say USAID na one of the biggest players for this aid matter, dem come decide say dem no wan make terrorists chop from their money again. So dem introduce strong counter-terrorism rules inside their grant agreement. Meaning say, before any NGO wey dey collect their money go help person, dem go first check say the person no get any past connection with Boko Haram or any bad group.

But make we reason am well, how dem wan take know who be who for that kind environment? You fit see one pikin wey Boko Haram kidnap when e small, force am do bad thing, then later e escape. If that pikin no get food, water or medical help because of one document wey talk say make dem no assist ex-insurgents, na which kind wickedness be that?

This kain wahala make organizations like UNICEF talk say dem no fit dey work under USAID rules like that. For their mind, dem dey do humanitarian work, dem no wan dey do police work. If dem go dey screen everybody first before dem fit help, then dia mission go dey useless because hungry no dey look face.

Another serious gbege be how Nigerian military dey try handle the security side of this matter. Dem carry idea come wey make dem set up “super camps” wey be like military fortress. But the disadvantage come be say, e leave plenty rural areas wide open.

So Boko Haram dey roam there like king, and e don hard for humanitarian workers to even enter go help the people wey dey there. Dem come estimate say almost 800,000 people no fit see food or medical help because of this arrangement.

E no help matter as military and the humanitarian organizations no too gel. Wahala don even burst before wey military lock NGO offices because dem believe say some of them dey support Boko Haram indirectly. So e be like say two people wey suppose work together no even dey trust each other.

Then we get another problem wey be fraud and mismanagement of funds. You sabi say for inside USAID-funded projects, one company wey dem call Chemonics International Inc. bin get serious kasala because their Nigerian subcontractor dey do anyhow with money. At the end, Chemonics gree pay heavy fine because of how dem take mismanage aid money. This kind thing dey make people dey lose trust for aid organizations, and e dey show say USAID need to shine their eye well well.

The question wey dey ground now be say, wetin we go do to make sure aid no go waste, and e no go land for the wrong hand? Some solutions dey, and if dem fit put eye well, e go help.

First, USAID need to make sure say dem get strong monitoring system. No be to just dey dash out money, dem suppose dey check how e dey take reach the real people wey need am. If dem say dem go use third-party monitors, dem need to make sure say na people wey no go do magomago.

Secondly, dem need to update policy wey go require NGOs to submit post-distribution monitoring reports. Meaning say, after dem don share aid, make dem show evidence say the aid really reach the right people. No be just talk, dem need solid proof.

Another thing be say dem need to monitor how contracts and procurement dey happen. Because most times, na inside that side fraud dey happen. If procurement no dey transparent, e mean say money fit miss, and aid no go reach people wey need am.

Finally, USAID and other donors suppose find way to balance security measures with humanitarian work. Yes, dem suppose make sure say aid no go enter terrorist hand, but at the same time, dem no suppose block NGOs from doing their job. Open dialogue fit help to clear misunderstandings and set proper rules wey go work for both sides.

Las las, the aim na to make sure say aid go fit reach the right people, and no be the people wey go use am take do bad thing. The matter dey delicate, but if everybody dey sincere, dem fit find way to make am work.