The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that unless immediate action is taken, 25 million Nigerians will face food insecurity between June and August 2023.
On Monday, the UN agency announced this on its website in a statement titled ’25 million Nigerians at high risk of food insecurity in 2023.’
The projection was based on the October 2022 Cadre Harmonisé, a government-led and UN-supported food and nutrition analysis conducted twice a year.
It went on to say that continued conflict, climate change, inflation, and rising food prices would all contribute to food insecurity, noting that some Northern states are particularly vulnerable.
“This represents an increase from the estimated 17 million people who are currently at risk of food insecurity. “Continual conflict, climate change, inflation, and rising food prices are key drivers of this alarming trend,” according to UNICEF.
“Food access has been hampered by persistent violence in the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY), as well as armed banditry and kidnapping in states such as Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue, and Niger.
“According to the National Emergency Management Agency, widespread flooding in the 2022 rainy season damaged more than 676,000 hectares of farmlands, which diminished harvests and increased the risk of food insecurity for families across the country.
“Flooding is one of the consequences of climate change and variability in Nigeria. More extreme weather patterns with implications for food security are expected in the future.”
“Of the 17 million people who are currently food insecure, 3 million are in the northeast BAY states,” it continued.
“Without immediate action, this figure is expected to rise to 4.4 million during the lean season. This includes extremely vulnerable displaced people and returnees who are already struggling to survive a large-scale humanitarian crisis in which 8.3 million people require assistance.”
Meanwhile, UNICEF stated that children are the most vulnerable to food insecurity, naming six Northern states that could face such devastation.
“Children are the people who are most vulnerable to food insecurity. Approximately 6 million of Nigeria’s 17 million food-insecure people are children under the age of five, living in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Katsina, and Zamfara states.”
“The UN is calling on the Government of Nigeria, the donor community, and public and private stakeholders to urgently commit resources and implement mitigation measures to save lives and prevent a potentially catastrophic food security and nutrition situation,” it concluded. Support for vulnerable families throughout the country is required right now, not tomorrow.”
