The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, has said about 5.9 million Nigerian children face severe food and nutrition crisis.

Speaking at the launch of the 2024 Lean Season Food Security and Nutrition Crisis multi-sector plan, Fall outlined the gravity of the crisis and underscored the plan’s objectives. 

The initiative aims to coordinate with existing government efforts in key areas such as food assistance, health, and water and sanitation, focusing particularly on the North-Eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe.

Fall highlighted the staggering statistics, revealing that 700,000 children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition in the aforementioned states alone. 

Moreover, an estimated 4.8 million Nigerians are at risk of food crisis during the lean season from June to September. This situation is exacerbated by factors such as flooding, inflation, and the global conflict in Ukraine, which has disrupted access to food supplies.

The UN coordinator stressed the need for immediate action, citing a funding requirement of N306 million to support the 2.8 million people targeted by this year’s project. 

He warned that failure to address the crisis promptly could lead to a catastrophic situation, further exacerbating the suffering of vulnerable communities already grappling with food insecurity.

This development comes in the wake of Nigeria’s declaration of a national emergency on food security in July 2023, prompted by soaring inflation rates that rendered basic food items unaffordable for many households. The situation has since worsened, necessitating urgent and comprehensive interventions to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

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