The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), have revealed that as many as 26.5 million Nigerians are currently battling with hunger.
The Secretary-General of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Dr. Abubakar Ahmed Kende, disclosed this in Abuja on Monday.
Kende, while speaking, highlighted the severity of the situation and disclosed that nearly 4.41 million children and 585,000 mothers are facing acute malnutrition in Nigeria as a result of the hunger crisis.
According to the NRCS Secretary-General, this puts the lives of the children and mothers at risk, while Kende also emphasized the urgent need for assistance to help their situation.
“As we speak. millions of our fellow citizens are facing acute hunger, with about 26.5 million people, including women and children, in dire need of urgent assistance to prevent death and prolonged suffering,” he said.
Kende said the factors contributing to this crisis are multifaceted – changing weather conditions, increased internal conflict, the aftermath, compounded by violent conflicts, including the insurgency of COVID-19, in the North Fast.
Other factors are armed banditry; perennial farmer – herder conflicts: and separatist in the South East among others, and global agitation in crises such as the Russia/Ukraine, Gaza war.
He said some other factors contributing to the crisis are the rising fuel prices, which have led to hyperinflation, and soaring food prices beyond the reach of many people in Nigeria.
“Natural disasters such as the rising incidence and frequency of floods as part of the consequences of climate change impact, affect food production, availability and affordability,” Kende said.
He further spoke on the devastating consequences of malnutrition, revealing that almost 1,000 Nigerian children die on a daily basis due to issues related to malnutrition.
