WFP needs $89 million to fight rising hunger in Nigeria

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said Nigeria’s food security situation is getting worse faster than expected. Ongoing conflict and lack of humanitarian funding are pushing millions of people into hunger, especially in northern Nigeria.

In a statement on Thursday, the WFP said it needs $89 million over the next six months. This money will help provide food and nutrition assistance and offer critical logistics support in northern Nigeria.

The agency warned that without urgent funding, hunger will get worse. This situation could lead to more people being displaced and increased instability in the area.

The latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis shows that over 17 million people in nine northern states affected by conflict are facing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic food insecurity.

WFP noted that this number is nearly two million more than in the previous assessment. The situation is particularly bad in Borno State, where renewed insurgent attacks and cuts in humanitarian aid have left over three million people acutely food insecure.

Among them, more than 750,000 people are suffering from severe hunger. Over 10,000 people are in catastrophic hunger conditions, which is the worst level of food insecurity. WFP said these numbers highlight the growing impact of conflict, displacement, and decreasing humanitarian support.

“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” said Kinday Samba, the WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

“For years, insurgent attacks and violence were mostly in parts of northeast Nigeria. Now, they are spreading to a wider area. This is forcing people away from their farms, causing more displacement, and making it hard for humanitarian workers to reach those in need, which leads to more hunger.”

WFP also said that worsening access issues and serious funding shortages are making it harder to reach vulnerable communities. The number of places that WFP staff cannot access has doubled. Now, 15 more areas are partly inaccessible.

Humanitarian cargo transport on main routes is also being disrupted by attacks and illegal checkpoints. This is making relief operations less effective. In some places, WFP said air transport is the only way to deliver aid.

Despite the growing need for help, funding shortages have forced WFP to cut back its operations significantly. Currently, 6.2 million people are food insecure in three northeastern states, but WFP can only assist about 740,000 of them.

This leaves around 5.5 million people, including many children, without lifesaving food and nutrition help. WFP pointed out that this is a sharp drop from the 1.3 million people it could support during the peak of the 2025 lean season.

WFP warned that cutting food assistance is pushing vulnerable households to take desperate measures. Some communities have reported that individuals are joining armed groups to find food or earn money. This highlights the rising security risks tied to worsening hunger.

WFP is also worried that stopping food assistance in some displacement camps due to funding issues has led to a rise in exploitation and gender-based violence, especially against women and children.

“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation, and instability grow. Yet, resources are at their lowest when they are needed most,” said Mr Samba.