The United Nations has expressed alarm over the deepening hunger crisis in Nigeria, warning that millions of citizens face the risk of severe food insecurity amid funding shortfalls and economic decline.
In a joint report released on Wednesday, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said that global hunger was worsening, with conflict and violence driving acute food insecurity across several countries.
The Rome-based agencies identified Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen as the most at risk, “where populations face an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger.”
Nigeria was listed among countries of “very high concern,” alongside Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, and the Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh.
“We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries,” said Cindy McCain, executive director of the WFP. She warned that failure to act “will only drive further instability, migration, and conflict.”
The report noted that only $10.5 billion had been received out of the $29 billion required to assist those at risk, forcing the WFP to cut aid for refugees and suspend school feeding programmes in several countries.
The FAO added that critical funding was needed to protect agricultural livelihoods through seed and livestock support “before planting seasons begin or new shocks occur.”
Meanwhile, new data from the World Bank has painted a bleak picture of poverty in Nigeria, revealing that over 129 million Nigerians — about 56 per cent of the population — now live below the national poverty line.
According to the Nigeria Development Update report, rising inflation and stagnant economic growth have worsened hardship, up from 40.1 per cent in 2018 to 56 per cent in 2024.
“With growth proving too slow to outpace inflation, poverty has risen sharply,” the World Bank said, noting that real GDP per capita had yet to recover to pre-2016 levels.
The report warned that “being employed is no guarantee of escaping poverty,” as many jobs are neither productive nor adequately remunerative.
“Multiple shocks in a context of high economic insecurity have deepened and broadened poverty, with over 115 million Nigerians estimated to have been poor in 2023,” the Bank stated, adding that another 14 million people have fallen into poverty this year.
It attributed the worsening situation to inflation, flooding, insecurity, the 2023 demonetisation policy, and weak economic growth.
While poverty remains largely rural, the report found that urban poverty has surged — with 31.3 per cent of city dwellers now poor, up from 18 per cent in 2018.
The World Bank said the federal government’s expanded cash transfer programmes were a step toward cushioning the crisis but warned that structural reforms were urgently needed to stabilise prices, boost productivity, and create jobs.