33 Million Nigerians May go Hungry Next Year, World Food Programme, WFP Predicts
A recent United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) report warns that the number of Nigerians at risk of hunger could rise sharply to 33 million by 2025 from 25 million this year.
Experts have identified 5.4 million children and 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women as being at risk of acute malnutrition, with nearly 1.8 million children facing Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and in urgent need of treatment.
Last month’s floods alone destroyed 1.6 million hectares of farmland in northern states, slashing maize, sorghum, and rice production by an estimated 1.1 million tonnes.
In the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, five million people are already experiencing acute food insecurity. Hunger hotspots are also spreading to Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto.
Compounding the crisis, inflation climbed to 32.70% in September, driven largely by surging food prices. This has left millions of Nigerians unable to afford basic necessities.
Factors driving this crisis include record inflation, severe climate events, and ongoing insecurity in key agricultural regions.
“Record inflation, climate shocks and ongoing conflicts are projected to push the number of food insecure Nigerians to 33 million in 2025, a sharp increase from the 25 million who need assistance today. Never before have there been so many people in Nigeria without food,” said Chi Lael, WFP spokesperson.
“The data shows that immediate support is needed to avert a potential food and nutrition disaster in Nigeria”.