25 million Nigerians at high risk of hunger – Report

Nearly 25 million Nigerians are at risk of facing hunger between June and August 2023 (lean season) if urgent action is not taken, according to the October 2022 Cadre Harmonisé, a Government led and UN-supported food and nutrition analysis carried out twice a year.

This is a projected increase from the estimated 17 million people currently at risk of food insecurity.

A press release posted on UNICEF’s website stated that continued conflict, climate change, inflation, and rising food prices, were key drivers of this alarming trend.

“Food access has been affected by persistent violence in the north-east states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe and armed banditry and kidnapping in states such as Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue, and Niger.

“According to the National Emergency Management Agency, widespread flooding in the 2022 rainy season damaged more than 676,000 hectares of farmlands, which diminished harvests and increased the risk of food insecurity for families across the country.

“The flooding is one of the effects of climate change and variability impacting Nigeria. More extreme weather patterns affecting food security are anticipated in the future,” it said.

The UN said of the 17 million people who are currently food insecure, three million are in the northeast BAY states. Without immediate action, this figure is expected to increase to 4.4 million in the lean season. Punch