The World Food Programme (WFP) has raised an urgent alarm, warning that millions of people in northern Nigeria, particularly in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, could face severe food shortages by April 2025 due to critical funding gaps.
Without immediate financial assistance, the agency will be forced to halt lifesaving food and nutrition aid to millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and vulnerable households.
According to the December 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security report, an estimated 4.8 million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states will experience acute hunger between June and August 2025, a sharp increase from 4.3 million in 2023.
Margot van der Velden, WFP Regional Director for Western Africa, stressed the urgency of the crisis, saying:
“The global reduction in aid is having a direct and devastating impact on our ability to support vulnerable Nigerians. If we do not act now, the consequences will be catastrophic. Food security is national security, and we cannot afford inaction.”
The crisis is exacerbated by ongoing conflicts, displacement, inflation, and climate-related disasters, including devastating floods in 2024 that further weakened household resilience.
The WFP urgently requires $620 million over the next six months to sustain operations in northeast Nigeria and the Sahel. Without immediate intervention, food rations will be cut, leaving millions without support during the peak lean season.
As 33.1 million Nigerians are projected to face severe food shortages by mid-2025, the WFP is urging international donors and the Nigerian government to step in and prevent a full-scale humanitarian disaster.