Nigeria is confronting an unprecedented hunger emergency, with nearly 31 million people now suffering from acute food insecurity, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) . This staggering figure rivals the population of Texas and reflects a serious escalation in hunger across the country.
A combination of shrinking humanitarian funding, soaring inflation and food prices, and ongoing conflict in the northeast has pushed the crisis beyond the capacity of aid systems. The WFP warns that 1.3 million Nigerians in the region are about to lose access to lifesaving support, while 150 nutrition clinics in Borno state may shutter their doors.
Children stand at the forefront of this crisis. Around 300,000 are at risk of severe malnutrition, especially in conflict-affected zones where internecine violence and displacement have disrupted agriculture and weakened food access.
The looming lean season—typically spanning June to August—could further devastate food supplies, with projections indicating more than 33 million Nigerians may face acute hunger by mid-2025.
Analysts cite several interlinked causes: escalating food inflation that reached over 40% for essentials, economic reforms including fuel subsidy removal, devaluation of the naira, widespread flooding, and persistent insecurity in regions like Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara.
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The WFP urgently calls for US $130 million in emergency funding to sustain operations, prevent the collapse of food assistance, and protect vulnerable populations from severe hunger-related outcome.
The hunger crisis has undercut once-resilient communities, especially in Nigeria’s conflict-affected north. Families are grappling with impossible choices—often skipping meals, fleeing their homes, or resorting to negative coping strategies. Without fast and coordinated humanitarian support, the situation risks transforming into a mass catastrophe that will disproportionately harm children and the poorest households.
