The Cadre Harmonisé Food and Nutrition Insecurity Analysis projects that 33.1 million Nigerians will face high levels of food insecurity during the June–August 2025 lean season. With the addition of 1.4 million IDPs, the total number of Nigerians at risk of hunger rises to 34.7 million.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 1.8 million children are at risk of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). The situation is attributed to record inflation, currency devaluation, climate shocks, and conflict in the northeast.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to ration its support due to reduced funding, and its warehouses are now empty. Trust Mlambo, head of operations in the area for WFP, warned that the lack of food could push desperate people back into the hands of militants.
The Borno State Government has stated that it is prepared to mitigate the effects of aid cuts, citing strategic policies designed to take care of vulnerable indigenes. However, aid agencies have warned that the drastic cuts to humanitarian aid could push more displaced people into the arms of Boko Haram terrorists.
The UN has attributed the funding cuts to the reorganisation of humanitarian assistance programmes by the US State Department, which has resulted in reduced funding for aid agencies. The US has stated that it continues to be the most generous nation in the world and has urged other nations to increase their humanitarian efforts.
The situation has raised concerns about the ability of the Nigerian government to address the food crisis and malnutrition in the country. Vice President Kashim Shettima has promised that the government will tackle malnutrition, which has deprived 40% of Nigerian children under five of their full physical and cognitive potential. However, the question remains how fast and how far the government can act to halt and reverse the staggering levels of undernutrition.