Geneva — This is a summary of what was said by Chi Lael, WFP Spokesperson for Nigeria (speaking from Abuja via Zoom) - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Normally, I would speak on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) about the food security situation in northeast Nigeria. But today I am making a joint statement for these are not normal times. For this reason, today's statement is a joint one, delivered on behalf of the three UN agencies most involved in food security and nutrition in Nigeria the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF, and WFP. We know too that NGO colleagues in the NGO Forum for Nigeria and development partners stand by the main points in this statement.
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.
The data shows that immediate support is needed to avert a potential food and nutrition disaster in Nigeria, where the combination of triple-digit increases in food prices, the aftermath of devastating floods, and 15 years of insurgency in the northeast are stretching families to the limit.
The food security and nutrition reports show us that Nigeria faces a monumental hunger crisis in the second half of 2025, particularly in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe where five million people are facing acute food insecurity. But the risk includes other areas too, notably emerging hunger hotspots in Zamfara, Katsina, and Sokoto states.
There are 5.4 million children and 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women at risk of acute malnutrition or wasting. Of these, an alarming 1.8 million children could face Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and may require critical nutrition treatment.
What worries us most is:
- the speed of deterioration over the past year,
- the scale - in terms of number of people at risk,
- the geographic scope of food insecurity, and
- the very real risk of a significant worsening in the coming months.
Our collective response must be immediate and massive in scale. It must span prevention, mitigation, and life-saving assistance. Preventative action in rural areas can halt the growth of hunger, providing the most vulnerable farmers with cash, seeds and fertiliser. Mitigation will reduce the scale of further crises. Urgent support in nutrition, health support, food supply and WASH will reduce the depth of the crisis.
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And vital life-saving support will keep those facing acute food insecurity alive. Our collective response will be built around these three pillars and must be implemented "as one" if it is to be successful.
International partners, Nigerian civil society, private sector and government at state and federal levels must work together to avert the risk of famine. WFP, FAO and UNICEF, along with many other key partners, are already in full scale-up mode, reprogramming existing resources and preparing for a huge operational step-up.
We have it within our grasp to stem this crisis, and avert catastrophe in Nigeria. If we respond now, it is manageable, at full stretch, but can be done.
We applaud and welcome those donors who are already making significant resources available. Rarely has it been truer to say that urgent investments in food security will save lives.
