Hunger crisis projected to affect 133.1 million Nigerians in 2025 – FAO Reports

Friday, November 8, 2024 - No fewer than 133.1 Nigerians would face a global hunger crisis in 2025 according to the Cadre Harmonisé report on food and nutrition insecurity analysis .

The Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, in a statement said the report was prepared by the federal government and supported by partners, such as the World Food Programme, WFP, and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF, among others.

The statement read: “The food and nutrition insecurity analysis, Cadre Harmonisé, led by the government of Nigeria and supported by partners, alerts on the deterioration of food security in Nigeria, with 133.1 million people expected to face high levels of food insecurity in the next lean season (June-August).

“It is an alarming seven million people increase from the same period last year, driven by economic hardship, coupled with record high inflation, impacts of climate change and persistent violence in the northeastern states.

“Nationally, the number of people experiencing emergency levels (Phase 4) of food insecurity is projected to increase. While no populations have been classified as catastrophe (Phase 5), populations experiencing emergency (Phase 4) are anticipated to increase from 1 million people in the peak of the 2024 lean season to 1.8 million people at the same period in 2025, representing an 80 per cent increase.

“Approximately 5.4 million children and nearly 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at risk of acute malnutrition or wasting from six of the most affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe in the northeast, as well as Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara in the northwest.

”Of these, an alarming 1.8 million children could face severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and require critical nutrition treatment.

“Drivers of food security in Nigeria grapple with several factors that continue to exacerbate
the food insecurity situation, namely economic hardship, coupled with record high inflation (which reached 40.9 per cent for food, and 34.2 per cent for all items in June 2024).”