By Joke Kujenya
WIDESPREAD HUNGER is set to affect an estimated 30.6 million Nigerians, including 150,978 internally displaced persons (IDPs) across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), between June and August 2025.
The latest Cadre Harmonisé (CH) report, released on Friday, warns of worsening food shortages driven by economic instability, climate shocks, and persistent insecurity.
The February–March edition of the CH analysis, conducted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and other partners, reveals a slight improvement from the November 2024 estimate, which projected 33.1 million Nigerians at risk of acute food and nutrition insecurity.
Despite a reported decline of 2.5 million people, the lean season is expected to intensify food consumption deficits, particularly in conflict-prone regions.
Food and commodity prices have recently shown some stability; however, the lingering effects of macroeconomic reforms, coupled with continued security challenges and extreme weather conditions, are pushing millions into severe hunger.
The worst-hit areas include Yobe, Sokoto, Borno, Zamfara, and Katsina, where malnutrition rates have reached critical levels, especially among children and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Further data from the report highlights severe acute malnutrition at Phase 4 levels in central Borno, northern Yobe, and parts of Sokoto. Local Government Areas such as Mobbar and Nganzai in Borno, Mashi in Katsina, and urban centres like Maiduguri and Jere are among those experiencing dire nutrition crises.
In Abadam, Guzamala, Kukawa, and Marte, over 178,000 people, including vulnerable children and women, are at extreme risk of food insecurity.
The FAO has expressed grave concerns about Nigeria’s deepening food crisis, citing economic hardship, climate-related disasters, and security threats as primary drivers.
Speaking at the CH results presentation workshop in Abuja, FAO Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Kouacou Dominique Koffy, commended the Federal Government and CH stakeholders for their commitment to food security monitoring.
Koffy, represented by Assistant Country Representative Salisu Mohammed, urged state governments and development partners to mobilise resources for a comprehensive national assessment scheduled for October 2025.
“We must ensure that every vulnerable community is assessed so that no one is left behind. Without sufficient data, effective planning and response become impossible,” he stressed.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, also acknowledged the crisis’s severity, linking it to ongoing economic instability.
Represented by the Director of Food and Strategic Grain Reserve, Engr Okpogidi Oyema, Ogunbiyi reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing the CH report’s recommendations and called for humanitarian organisations to align their interventions with the findings.
“We recognise the efforts of FAO, WFP, and other partners in expanding food security assessments. Moving forward, we must ensure these results are used to drive meaningful policy actions that address hunger and malnutrition,” he stated.
CH stakeholders, including the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, Save the Children, and Mercy Corps, have called for sustained humanitarian support in affected regions.
They also emphasised the need for early warning systems to prevent the situation from escalating into a full-blown food emergency.
