Nigeria Food Crisis Puts 400,000 Children at Risk

Nigeria is facing a worsening food security emergency that threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of children, according to a joint statement issued on Tuesday by the Nigerian government and the United Nations.

The statement, released by Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Yusuf Tanko Sununu, and UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, warned that the country’s food insecurity and malnutrition crisis has reached catastrophic levels.

Marking World Humanitarian Day 2025, observed annually on 19 August, the two officials highlighted the urgent need to protect humanitarian workers operating in Nigeria. 

They also raised concerns over declining global solidarity and a severe reduction in international funding, which has left the most vulnerable communities at even greater risk.

The food crisis in Nigeria is deepening, with humanitarian needs continuing to rise. Currently, 31 million Nigerians face food insecurity, while over 10 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition. Among them, 3.5 million are experiencing severe acute malnutrition.

According to the joint statement, the lives of an estimated 400,000 children are now in imminent danger unless immediate and decisive action is taken.