Over 33 million Nigerians projected to face acute hunger by 2025- UN report

Over 33 million Nigerians projected to face acute hunger by 2025- UN report

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja 

A newly released assessment has unveiled a concerning prediction for Nigeria’s food security landscape, estimating that over 33 million people will face acute food insecurity by 2025. 

This marks a significant increase of 7 million from the previous year, primarily fueled by a combination of economic hardship, soaring inflation rates, the impacts of climate change, and ongoing violence, particularly in the northeastern regions of the country.

The analysis, conducted as part of the Cadre Harmonisé initiative, was led by the Nigerian government in collaboration with partners, including the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). 

It highlights the impending crisis during the upcoming lean season from June to August 2025, when the number of those grappling with severe food shortages is expected to reach alarming levels.

“The hunger crisis in Nigeria is fueled by the ongoing conflict in the northeast and needs to be urgently addressed.

“Restoring peace in the northeast is critical for us to build pathways to production and achieve the northeast’s potential as the food basket of the country,” said David Stevenson, the Country Representative for WFP.

Currently, between October and December 2024, projections indicate that 25.1 million Nigerians will experience acute food insecurity, even amid the peak of the harvest season. Of this figure, a staggering 5 million are anticipated to reside in the conflict-ridden northeastern states.

The Cadre Harmonisé report also warns that the number of individuals facing emergency levels of food insecurity (Phase 4) is set to rise from 1 million in 2024 to 1.8 million in 2025, representing an alarming 80 percent increase. 

The situation is particularly dire for vulnerable populations, with approximately 5.4 million children and nearly 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women at risk of acute malnutrition or wasting.

UNICEF’s Country Representative, Ms. Cristian Munduate, highlighted the urgent need for intervention, saying, “Children are at the center of the food insecurity crisis and face irreversible consequences—both physical and cognitive, and potentially even death. It is our moral imperative to ensure that the right of every child to adequate food and nutrition is upheld.”

Economic factors have played a significant role in exacerbating Nigeria’s food insecurity crisis. As the country grapples with record-high inflation—40.9 percent for food as of June 2024—prices have skyrocketed. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that the cost of beans has surged by 282 percent compared to the previous year, while local rice prices have increased by 153 percent. These economic shocks are compounded by the continuous devaluation of the Naira against the US Dollar and recent policy changes concerning fuel subsidies.

Additionally, climate change presents a formidable challenge. Recent floods have flooded 4.5 million hectares of land, deeply impacting food production and essential services. Over 9.2 million people have been affected, with estimated annual production losses for maize, sorghum, and rice in the flooded areas amounting to 1.1 million tonnes—enough to feed approximately 13 million people for a year.

“Working closely with our partners, FAO is dedicated to implementing durable solutions that tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition,” said Dominique Koffy Kouacou, FAO Representative ad interim in Nigeria and ECOWAS. “By enhancing agri-food systems, we strive to meet urgent needs while promoting long-term, sustainable progress for communities.”

The report concludes with a call to action from the United Nations for the Nigerian government, donors, and stakeholders to prioritize resources and implement preventive measures to avert a potential food and nutrition disaster. The need for multi-sectoral support has never been more urgent as Nigeria faces this impending food crisis.