The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that some 25 million Nigerians are at risk of “severe hunger” in 2023, and warned that the situation may worsen if “concrete steps” are not taken to address the issue.
In a statement, UNICEF attributed the cause to conflicts, climate change, inflation, and rising food prices.
The statement said: “Nearly 25 million Nigerians are at risk of facing hunger between June and August 2023 if urgent action is not taken, according to the October 2022 Cadre Harmonisé, a Government led and UN-supported food and nutrition analysis carried out twice a year”.
“Children are the most vulnerable to food insecurity. Approximately six of the 17 million food-insecure Nigerians today are children under five living in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara states”.
“There is a serious risk of mortality among children attributed to acute malnutrition. In the Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states alone, the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition is expected to increase from 1.74 million in 2022 to 2 million in 2023”.
Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria said the Nigerian government must “swing into action immediately” to address the situation, noting that “the food security and nutrition situation across Nigeria is deeply concerning”.
“I have visited nutrition stabilization centers filled with children who are fighting to stay alive. We must act now to ensure they and others get the lifesaving support they need”.
The statement also called on Nigerian Governors, donor agencies, and other key stakeholders to “devote resources and implement mitigation measures” to prevent “potentially catastrophic food security and nutrition situation”.
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