The United Nations (UN) has expressed concerns that Nigeria may be facing one of the most severe hunger crises in its recent history, with millions of people at risk of acute food insecurity and malnutrition.
The global organization links the potential hunger crisis to a combination of factors, particularly the interplay of conflict, economic pressures, climate shocks, and low inflow of humanitarian funding by international agencies with the attendant threats to lives and long-term stability of the country.
A recent study conducted by the UN indicated that nearly 35 million Nigerians, including millions of children, were projected to face acute hunger in 2026, representing one of the highest levels of food insecurity rate in the history.
According to the organisation’s The Cadre Harmonisé Analysis, an authoritative food security classification used for West and Central Africa food security assessment, the nearly 35 million Nigerians could experience severe food insecurity during the upcoming June–August 2026 lean season if there is no urgent intervention.
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The UN attributed the likely severe food insecurity in the country to some factors, including the ongoing insurgent attacks in northern Nigeria, particularly by Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and armed gangs, which continue to disrupt agricultural production and market access; and funding shortfalls for humanitarian aid as the World Food Programme (WFP), and other UN agencies had warned that dwindling donour contributions have forced them to scale back food aid dramatically.
Others are economic and climate pressures associated with high food prices driven by inflation and broader economic instability that are squeezing household budgets, making essential food items unaffordable for many families; malnutrition and vulnerable populations as children, pregnant women, and internally displaced persons (IDPs), are among those worst affected.
The implications of Nigeria’s hunger crisis extend far beyond immediate suffering but is contributing to mass displacement as families leave their homes in search of food and safety, recruitment into armed groups, economic stagnation as agricultural productivity falls and communities lose means of livelihood, and worsening instability.
To frontally tackle these multidimensional challenges, the UN and its partners are calling for increased humanitarian funding to sustain food and nutrition assistance, expanded support for resilience and early-warning systems to prevent escalation, and collaborative domestic and international efforts to address the root drivers of food insecurity, including conflict, economic fragility, and climate change.
The WFP, which early this year disclosed it would be able to assist only about 72,000 hungry people in Nigeria down from the 1.3 million it reached during previous lean seasons, and allied agencies have maintained that with adequate resources and coordinated action, it was still possible to avert the worst food insecurity crisis in the country.
