A recent report has sounded an alarm on Nigeria’s rising food insecurity, projecting that a staggering 33 million Nigerians could face acute food shortages by 2025.
Issued by the Head of Communications and Media for the United Nations World Food Programme, Chi Lael, the statement shared on Thursday references the latest Cadre Harmonisé analysis, led by the Nigerian government with support from international partners, which offers a bleak forecast for the nation’s food security.
According to the report, a projected 33.1 million people will experience severe food insecurity during the lean season from June to August 2025, a number up by 7 million from last year.
This dire increase is attributed to factors including relentless economic hardships, unprecedented inflation rates, climate change impacts, and ongoing violence, especially in the northeastern regions.
The WFP statement highlighted that even during Nigeria’s harvest season from October to December 2024, when food supply is typically more stable, a distressing 25.1 million Nigerians are expected to remain food insecure.
Of these, 3.8 million reside in the northeast, with that number projected to climb to 5 million by 2025, emphasizing the severity of the crisis in conflict-affected regions.
“Nationally, emergency food insecurity levels are set to escalate from 1 million during the 2024 peak lean season to 1.8 million in 2025, marking an alarming 80 percent increase,” the WFP stated.
In addition, it estimated that 5.4 million children, alongside nearly 800,000 pregnant and nursing mothers, face acute malnutrition risks in six of the worst-hit states: Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara. Of these, as many as 1.8 million children could suffer from severe acute malnutrition, requiring critical intervention to prevent life-threatening consequences.
The report also underscored Nigeria’s struggle with economic strain, worsened by an inflation spike that hit 40.9 percent for food items and 34.2 percent for general goods in June 2024.
This inflation, compounded by soaring transport costs, has made food prices nearly unattainable for many families.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, for instance, the cost of beans in October 2024 surged by 282 percent compared to the previous year, while local rice prices rose by 153 percent, indicating a sustained rise in the cost of staple foods.
These economic pressures have led to continued devaluation of the naira against the dollar.
Additionally, policy changes, such as the end of the fuel subsidy, have further exacerbated the situation, impacting household income and food accessibility.
Other aggravating factors include climate-related events, especially recurrent flooding, which disrupts food production and transportation, further inflating costs of both food and essential goods.
For Nigeria’s northeastern states, the food insecurity trend has shown no sign of easing since 2018, with a steady annual increase of at least 4 million people requiring urgent aid during lean seasons since 2020.
The WFP statement emphasized that the northwest and parts of the north-central regions are also suffering critical levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, positioning these areas as priority zones for urgent intervention.
FAO’s interim representative in Nigeria, Dominique Kouacou, expressed FAO’s ongoing dedication to helping Nigeria address this crisis.
“Working closely with our partners, FAO is committed to implementing long-term solutions that address the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition,” he stated, noting that improving agri-food systems is essential to meeting immediate needs and building resilience.
WFP’s Country Representative, David Stevenson, echoed the need for swift action, especially in light of the ongoing conflict in the northeast.
“The hunger crisis in Nigeria is fuelled by the ongoing conflict in the northeast and needs to be urgently addressed. Restoring peace in the northeast is critical for us to build pathways to production and achieve the northeast’s potential as the food basket of the country,” he said.
UNICEF’s Country Representative, Ms. Cristian Munduate, underscored the devastating impact of food insecurity on children.
“Children are at the centre of the food insecurity crisis and face irreversible consequences – both physical and cognitive, and potentially even death. It is our moral imperative to ensure that the right of every child to adequate food and nutrition is upheld,” she said.
In response, the United Nations is calling on the Nigerian government, international donors, and key stakeholders to mobilize resources and implement decisive measures to avert an impending disaster.
It emphasizes the urgent need for coordinated, multi-sectoral support nationwide to combat the deteriorating food and nutrition landscape.
