A new report has stated that 33.1 million people in Nigeria will face acute food insecurity in 2025 during the coming lean season (June-August).

Food insecurity and malnutrition analysis, led by Nigeria and supported by partners, indicates a rise of seven million people from the same period last year, driven by economic hardship, high inflation, effects of climate change and persistent violence in the northeastern states of the country.

According to a statement made available to The Guardian, yesterday, approximately 5.4 million children and nearly 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at risk of acute malnutrition or waste from six of the most affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe in the Northeast, Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara in the Northwest.

Of these, 1.8 million children could face Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and require critical nutrition treatment.

Nigeria grapples with economic hardship, coupled with record high inflation (which reached 40.9 per cent for food and 34.2 per cent for all items in June 2024).

This is a record increase in food prices amid record-high transportation costs. Highlighting the long-standing issue, the UN’s World Food Programme’s (WFP) Country Representative, David Stevenson, said restoring peace to the Northeast was critical to building pathways to production and achieving the Northeast’s potential as the country’s food basket.

Representative of ECOWAS FAO, Dominique Kouacou, expressed FAO’ss continued commitment to supporting Nigeria.

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

UNICEF’s Country Representative, Ms Cristian Munduate, emphasised the urgent need for action, adding that children were at the centre of the food insecurity crisis and faced irreversible consequences.

The United Nations urged the Nigerian government, donors, and stakeholders to commit resources and implement measures to avert a potential food and nutrition disaster, emphasising the need for immediate multi-sectoral support across the nation.