35 million Nigerians at the risk of hunger and starvation – WFP
On November 25, 2025, the United Nations’ World Food Programme sent out a blunt warning: Nigeria is staring down the worst hunger and starvation crisis in its history. Almost 35 million people in the north—one out of every six Nigerians—will face severe food shortages from May to September 2026. It’s a disaster fueled by a toxic mix of rising violence, slashed aid budgets, and relentless economic pressure. The stakes aren’t just about survival—they’re about the stability of West Africa itself.
Let’s look at the numbers.
The WFP’s latest Cadre Harmonisé report for the Sahel and West Africa is bleak. In the northeast states—Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe—close to 6 million people are expected to hit crisis levels of hunger, or worse, during the lean season next summer, when food runs thinnest. But here’s the part that keeps aid workers up at night: about 15,000 people in Borno State are at risk of slipping into outright famine—what the experts call Phase 5. At that point, survival depends on immediate help.
Kids are taking the hardest hit. Malnutrition is now “critical” in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. Over 300,000 children lost access to WFP nutrition programs after major funding cuts in July 2025. Clinics have closed. Rates of acute malnutrition jumped from “serious” to “critical” in just a few months. Nearly a million people in the northeast rely on WFP’s food and nutrition aid, but millions more are on the edge. And these aren’t just big numbers—this is the worst hunger forecast since the WFP started tracking. Worse than during the height of the Boko Haram crisis.
How did things get this bad?
It’s not just one thing—it’s everything at once. Insurgent violence is surging. In 2025, both Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM ramped up attacks. JNIM carried out its first big assault inside Nigeria just last month. ISWAP killed a brigadier-general earlier this year. Armed bandits are raiding rural villages, forcing families from their land and torching crops. These are the farmers who feed the north.
The violence feels endless. Just last week, gunmen kidnapped 303 children and 12 teachers from a Catholic school in Niger State, 25 Muslim girls from a school in Kebbi, and 38 churchgoers in Kwara. Mass kidnappings like these have terrorized the northwest and north-central regions, pushing more and more farmers off their land and choking off local food supplies.
Then there’s the money problem.
The U.S.—WFP’s biggest donor—has slashed aid under President Trump, and other donors are following. WFP says it will run out of money for emergency food and nutrition programs by December 2025. That means millions will lose support right when the lean season hits.
Economically, things are spiraling. Inflation is roaring at about 34% as of mid-2025. Floods wiped out this year’s harvests. The naira keeps losing value. For most families, basic food is now out of reach. In rural areas, where roads are bad and help rarely arrives, people are trapped in a cycle of hunger and displacement.
David Stevenson, WFP’s country director in Nigeria, doesn’t mince words: “The advance of insurgency presents a serious threat to stability in the north, with consequences reaching beyond Nigeria. Communities are under severe pressure from repeated attacks and economic stress.” He warns that if hunger keeps growing unchecked, even more young people could join the insurgents. That could destabilize not just Nigeria, but the whole Sahel—spilling into Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
Plea for Urgent Funding and Donations
WFP is begging for urgent funding to keep food and nutrition programs going, and to support efforts like cash transfers and school meals that help communities weather the storm. Without new resources, WFP says millions will be pushed further into crisis—and the risk of wider conflict grows.
Nigeria’s government says it’s committed to tackling the crisis, but experts are clear: this is bigger than one country. It’s a global problem, with ripple effects on migration, security, and food prices everywhere.
So, what do we do? Push for more funding from donors. Support local organizations working on the ground. Spread the word. Hunger is made by people—and people can end it. Don’t let this warning fade away. Act now, before 2026 becomes the year Nigeria—and the world—can’t walk back from.
