Over one million Nigerians face hunger due to funding shortages
A catastrophic hunger crisis is set to dramatically worsen in northeastern Nigeria, as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns it will be forced to slash food aid to over a million vulnerable people within weeks due to a critical lack of funding, amidst escalating violence and record hunger levels.
A deepening humanitarian crisis is unfolding in northeastern Nigeria as more than one million people face the threat of hunger following severe funding shortages affecting food assistance programmes.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that it will be forced to drastically scale down its life-saving operations from February due to a critical lack of funds. The agency says it will only be able to reach about 72,000 people, a sharp decline from the 1.3 million vulnerable Nigerians it supported during the same period last year.
According to the WFP, its financial resources are now exhausted, placing millions at risk in a region already battered by conflict, displacement, and food insecurity. Since 2015, the organisation has provided food assistance to nearly two million people annually in the area.
The situation is particularly alarming as Nigeria faces what the WFP describes as its worst hunger crisis on record, with an estimated 35 million people projected to experience severe food insecurity this year.
Ongoing violence has further compounded the crisis. Armed attacks have displaced around 3.5 million people, destroyed farmlands, disrupted food supplies, and made it increasingly difficult for communities to sustain themselves. Recent mass kidnappings and attacks on places of worship have heightened insecurity and fear across affected regions.
Adding to the strain are broader cuts to international humanitarian funding. The WFP notes that reductions in United Nations aid linked in part to cuts in U.S. funding to USAID have significantly weakened food and nutrition programmes across Nigeria and the wider West and Central African region.
WFP Country Director David Stevenson warned that the suspension of food assistance could have “disastrous humanitarian, security, and economic consequences”, particularly for displaced families who rely entirely on aid to survive.
As funding gaps widen and needs continue to rise, humanitarian agencies are urging urgent international support to prevent the crisis from escalating into a full scale catastrophe.
