The United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) has issued a stark warning: 33 million people in Nigeria could face severe food insecurity by 2025, an alarming increase from the 25 million in need today.
Chi Lael, WFP’s spokesperson for Nigeria, emphasized the urgency of the situation at a UN briefing in Geneva. “Never before have there been so many people in Nigeria without food,” Lael said, highlighting a dire need for swift intervention.
She attributed the crisis to multiple factors, including the removal of fuel subsidies that caused prices to skyrocket. This policy has led to a 500% increase in fuel prices and up to 300% hike in food costs, making essentials unaffordable for millions.
Floods have exacerbated the crisis, destroying 1.6 million hectares of farmland and affecting food supplies for an estimated 13 million people annually. With food prices soaring, Nigeria’s poorest citizens, particularly the 90 million who earn less than $2 a day, are at the greatest risk.
Lael called for immediate life-saving food aid over the next six months, targeting those in crisis and emergency food insecurity phases. She also urged preventive actions, including providing cash, seeds, and fertilizers to rural farmers, to stem the worsening hunger crisis.
A collective response is essential, Lael stressed, urging Nigerian government collaboration with international partners, civil society, and the private sector. She underlined the importance of addressing not only food supplies but also health, nutrition, and sanitation to prevent further escalation.
Without coordinated action, Nigeria faces a potential humanitarian catastrophe in the coming years, Lael warned.
