Nigeria is confronting what the United Nations describes as an “unprecedented hunger crisis,” with nearly 31 million people facing acute food insecurity—a figure comparable to the entire population of Texas.
According to Margot van der Velden, Regional Director of the World Food Program (WFP), the crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of shrinking humanitarian funding across West and Central Africa, placing millions at risk of starvation. The situation is most severe in conflict-affected regions such as Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, where Islamic insurgencies have displaced thousands.
Due to drastic funding cuts expected to take effect in August, the WFP anticipates having to suspend life-saving aid, leaving over 1.3 million Nigerians without food or nutritional support. The closure of 150 nutrition clinics threatens to expose 300,000 children to acute malnutrition, while 700,000 displaced individuals may be left entirely destitute. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), historically the mainstay of humanitarian assistance in the region, has significantly reduced its contributions, triggering a domino effect on service delivery. The looming crisis calls for urgent global solidarity to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
