United Nations (UN) has warned that nearly 35 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger this year, including three million children facing severe malnutrition.
Speaking at the launch of the 2026 humanitarian plan in Abuja, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Fall, said the collapse of global aid budgets has left Nigeria’s long-standing foreign-led assistance model unsustainable.
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Fall noted that conditions in the conflict-hit northeast remain dire, with civilians in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states facing rising violence. He said more than 4,000 people were killed in suicide bombings and widespread attacks in the first eight months of 2025, matching the toll for all of 2023.
According to him, the UN can only target $516 million to provide lifesaving aid to 2.5 million people this year, down from 3.6 million in 2025, which itself was about half the level of the previous year.
“These are not statistics. These numbers represent lives, futures and Nigerians,” Fall said, stressing that the UN had no choice but to focus on “the most lifesaving” interventions given the sharp drop in available funding.
Last year’s shortfalls forced the World Food Programme to cut support for more than 300,000 children after its resources ran out in December, raising fears that millions could go hungry.
Fall, however, acknowledged that Nigeria has shown growing national ownership of crisis response in recent months. He cited local funding for lean-season food support and early-warning action on flooding as examples of steps taken to strengthen resilience.
 has warned that nearly 35 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger this year, including three million children facing severe malnutrition.){kind=link}