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On a hot Tuesday afternoon in Yola, Adamawa State, in northeastern Nigeria, 32-year-old Fidelis Mbai walked to a point-of-sale (POS) stand to withdraw ₦35,000. The POS operator, Abu Sani, collected his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card and inserted it into a POS terminal. Fidelis entered his Personal Identification Number (PIN). Within seconds, he received a …
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Even before the first naira changes hands or the first customer calls, Musa Lekki reaches for his phone. It is 5:32 a.m. on a Tuesday, and like many smartphone users, he begins his day with a glance at his phone screen. The 42-year-old provisions trader lives in Yola, northeastern Nigeria, and runs a small wholesale …
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Jadon John keeps a diary in which he records reference numbers for government-mandated registrations. Based in Jimeta, a commercial district in Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria, one page of Jadon’s diary contains his voter registration details and another lists his Bank Verification Number (BVN). The 34-year-old has also noted down his National Identification Number (NIN), records …
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At the start of every school day, Martha Ayuba marks the attendance register of her class of about 50 pupils in Nassarawo Primary School, Jimeta-Yola, in Adamawa, northeastern Nigeria. The 38-year-old is the class teacher of Primary 3B. With a pencil in hand, she calls out names from the register. Each pupil answers, “Present, Ma”, …
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When Catherine Bello received a text message from the World Food Programme (WFP) in August 2025, she was excited. She had been anticipating it ever since she applied for the Anticipatory Action Response (AAR), a WFP programme that provides “multipurpose cash assistance” to reduce the humanitarian impact of flooding in vulnerable communities. Catherine lives in …
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Bala Abubakar rises before dawn, fetching water and checking his irrigation canals. He grew up in Gurin, a community in Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria, where rice cultivation has fed generations. To operate a thriving rice farm, Bala says he needs good seedlings, fertilisers, and perhaps a loan to tide him over. In 2024, members of …
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For years, 64-year-old Ibrahim Zira lived with high blood pressure, managing the condition at Jigalambu Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in the Michika area of Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria. When his condition worsened, he was referred to the Michika General Hospital, where he faced a familiar struggle: incomplete medical records and repeated tests. “When I got …
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On a sunny morning in October 2025, 42-year-old Fatima Ibrahim walked into the outpatient department of the Adamawa Specialist Hospital in Yola, northeastern Nigeria. Fatima had been vomiting for days and felt increasingly weak. She said she believed going to the hospital was the safest option; however, her consultation with the doctor was brief. After …
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Jimmy John had been battling a severe toothache for days. The pain made eating and sleeping almost impossible. Early in the morning on Monday, July 7, 2025, he walked into New Boshang Hospital in Jimeta-Yola, northeastern Nigeria, hoping for relief. He queued, was registered, and eventually called in to see a clinician. After an examination …
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When Boko Haram attacked a religious gathering in Nassarawo, Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria, and killed 12 persons in January 2012, it ignited deep-seated anger, fear, and suspicion. The incident led to a series of reprisal attacks within Nassarawo, a community where Muslims and Christians once co-existed peacefully, and other parts of …
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As the warm morning sun cast its golden rays over the serene landscape of Bobda, a small village in the Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, northeastern Nigeria, 12-year-old Halima Bawuro, sat quietly, observing her father, Sa’ad Bawuro, who was diligently taking care of the trees planted by an organisation. Asked why she wasn’t …
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Before he was attacked last month, 23-year-old Salisu Ibrahim had witnessed several altercations with herders whose cattle usually encroach farms in Chigari, a community in Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa, North East Nigeria. But his confrontation with a herder on Nov. 12 led to a life-altering ordeal for him. The herder who attacked Salisu …
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