By AWC Social Affairs Desk, Abuja
Nigeria is confronting what some analysts are calling the worst humanitarian crisis in its modern history: an alarmingly high number of citizens face acute food insecurity — as many as 35 million by 2026, according to recent projections by key relief agencies — triggered by a deadly combination of insurgent violence, economic hardship, and steep reductions in foreign aid.
Alarming Data: Hunger Figures Surge
A recent analysis by the World Food Programme (WFP) projects that 35 million Nigerians may face food insecurity in 2026 — the highest number since such records began.
The combined data from the 2025 “Cadre Harmonisé” food-security assessment conducted by the federal government, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and WFP indicate that 27.2 million Nigerians are already in crisis or worse, with that number possibly rising to 34.7 million during the 2026 lean season.
Earlier in 2025, estimates placed 30.6 million Nigerians across 26 states and the FCT at risk of acute food insecurity for the lean season, highlighting a worsening trend in less than a year.
These figures confirm a sobering reality: Nigeria remains the country with the largest absolute number of food-insecure people in the world, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly.
Drivers of the Crisis: Insecurity, Aid Cuts, Inflation & Climate
1. Surge in Insurgent Violence and Displacement
Per WFP’s November 2025 report, escalating militant attacks — especially in north-eastern and north-western states — have disrupted farming cycles, displaced hundreds of thousands, and destroyed livelihoods, making food scarcity widespread in rural communities.
In heavily affected areas such as Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Zamfara and Adamawa, malnutrition rates among children have risen from “serious” to “critical.”
2. Reduction in International Aid & WFP Funding Crisis
The hunger crisis is compounded by dramatic reductions in foreign aid. The WFP warns that major donors have curtailed funding, putting nutrition and food-aid programmes at risk of collapse across conflict zones.
Unlike previous years when assistance reached internally displaced persons (IDPs) and conflict-affected rural populations, current shortages threaten to leave millions without any safety net.
3. Economic Headwinds: Inflation and Price Spikes
Food inflation — driven by high cost of staples, rising transportation costs, and currency depreciation — continues to erode household purchasing power. Combined with reduced agricultural output in insecure regions, many households are simply unable to afford basic meals.
4. Climate Shocks and Decline in Agricultural Production
Floods, droughts, and erratic weather patterns — exacerbated by climate change — have disrupted harvest cycles and destroyed farmlands, especially in central and northern agricultural zones. The unusual frequency of climate shocks has hit small-scale farmers hardest.
Human Toll: Malnutrition, Displacement, Risk of Famine
In the north-eastern states, WFP warns that 15,000 people in Borno alone may face “famine-like conditions (Phase 5)” if urgent intervention fails.
Over 300,000 children — many under age five — risk acute malnutrition, particularly as WFP and partner agencies have scaled down nutrition programmes due to funding shortfalls.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in conflict and violence-hit states like Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto and Adamawa are especially vulnerable, with livestock losses and farmland abandonment depriving them of usual coping mechanisms.
If the current trajectory is not reversed, experts warn of mass displacement, rising child mortality, and a destabilizing humanitarian disaster.
Warnings from UN Agencies and NGOs
The WFP’s Nigeria Country Director stated bluntly:
“Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress.”
The FAO and other agrarian partners have joined the alarm, describing the situation as a “looming famine crisis.” Without swift, coordinated government interventions and renewed foreign support, the 2026 lean season may mark the worst period of sustained hunger Africa’s largest economy has ever seen.
What Must Be Done — Urgent Policy and Humanitarian Actions
Given the scale and gravity of the crisis, a multifaceted response is urgently required:
1. Scale up emergency food and nutrition aid
Immediately restore funding for WFP and partner agencies, with special focus on children under five, pregnant and nursing mothers, and displaced populations.
Deploy cash-for-work and food voucher programmes for rural households in conflict-affected zones.
2. Secure agricultural livelihoods
Provide seeds, fertilizers, and farming support to households returning to farmlands.
Deploy security escorts and community policing to protect farmland and safe agriculture in conflict zones.
3. Strengthen social safety nets
Expand school feeding programmes nationwide.
Initiate rural job creation, agro-value chain support, and climate-resilient farming programmes — especially in north and central Nigeria.
4. Address root causes: insecurity and displacement
Prioritise robust military and police operations to reclaim contested rural areas.
Support disarmament, community reconciliation, and resettlement programmes for IDPs.
5. Mobilise domestic and foreign resources
Encourage public–private partnerships for food security.
Appeal to foreign donors to reverse aid cuts and scale up humanitarian funding for Nigeria.
Warning: What Happens If We Don’t Act
If the crisis is left unaddressed, Nigeria risks:
Mass displacement — turning rural conflict zones into epicentres of famine refugees.
Escalation in child deaths from malnutrition — potentially in the hundreds of thousands.
Further destabilization as hunger fuels crime, banditry, and social unrest in vulnerable regions.
Loss of human capital — with long-term damage to the health, education, and labour productivity of a generation.
Conclusion: A National Emergency That Demands a National Response
The hunger crisis sweeping Nigeria is not just a humanitarian issue — it is a national security challenge, a governance test, and a moral indictment of failed priorities.
Millions of Nigerian lives, hopes and futures hinge on timely, massive intervention. The data from WFP, FAO and national assessments leaves no room for delay: this is a crisis that demands urgent action.
Nigeria needs coordinated federal leadership, renewed international support, and genuine civil-society engagement. The cost of inaction is too high.
We owe it to the millions at risk — to the children, the farmers, the displaced, the mothers — to act now before the silence of hunger turns into a catastrophe of forgotten human lives.
