This number represents a sharp increase from the 25 million people in need of assistance today, the World Food Program (WFP) speak in a joint statement with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Never before have so many people in Nigeria been without food,” Chi Lael, WFP Spokesperson in the country, told journalists at the United Nations in Geneva.
Prevent potential disasters
Recently Evaluate recognizes that immediate support is needed to avert a potential food and nutrition disaster in the face of triple-digit increases in food prices, the result of devastating floods and 15 years of insurgency in the northeast .
Nigeria faces a severe hunger crisis in the second half of 2025, especially in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, where about 5 million people are facing insecurity. food security is serious.
Other areas including emerging hunger hotspots in Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states are also at risk.
Young lives are in danger
Miss Lael said 5.4 million children and 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at risk of acute malnutrition or waste.
She warned that of this figure, an alarming 1.8 million children could suffer from severe acute malnutrition and may need serious nutritional treatment.
“What worries us most is the pace of the recession over the past yearscale – in terms of the number of people at risk, the geographic scope of food insecurity and the very real risk of food insecurity worsening in the coming months,” she said. speak.
Stop this crisis
She emphasized the need for an “immediate and widespread” collective response, including prevention, mitigation and life-saving support.
This includes preventive action in rural areas to prevent widespread hunger, such as providing cash, seeds and fertilizer to vulnerable farmers. Meanwhile, emergency assistance in areas such as nutrition, medical assistance, food supply, water and sanitation will reduce the depth of the crisis.
“We have the ability to stop this crisis and avert disaster in Nigeria. If we respond now then things can be handled, as much as possible but doable,” she said.
