The United Nations (UN) has disclosed that approximately 5.9 million Nigerian children are currently facing a severe food and nutrition crisis, the highest number recorded globally.
The announcement was made by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, during the launch of the 2024 Lean Season Food Security and Nutrition Crisis multi-sector plan.
“Today, we face an unprecedented crisis that is affecting millions of our children in dire ways,” Fall stated at the event. He emphasised the critical nature of the situation in the North-Eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, where an alarming 700,000 children under the age of five were reported to be malnourished.
The newly launched multi-sector plan aimed to integrate with existing government investments and initiatives in critical areas such as food assistance, health, water, and sanitation.
“Our goal is to harmonize our efforts with those of the Nigerian government to tackle this crisis from multiple angles,” Fall explained.
Additionally, the UN coordinator highlighted the broader impact of the lean season, which spans from June to September, noting that 4.8 million Nigerians were at risk of facing a food crisis exacerbated by flooding, inflation, and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has severely hampered access to food supplies.
To address these challenges, the United Nations has called for N306 million to assist 2.8 million people, aiming to prevent the current food and nutrition crisis from spiralling into a catastrophic scenario.
“Without immediate and coordinated action, the situation could deteriorate at an alarming rate,” warned Fall.
This call to action followed Nigeria’s declaration of a national emergency on food security on July 13, 2023, prompted by record inflation that has rendered basic food items unaffordable for a significant portion of the population.
The international community and local stakeholders were urged to respond promptly to the UN’s plea, as millions of lives hang in the balance.