JUST IN: 35 Million Nigeria May Go Hungry In The Coming Months – UN Warn Nigeria Over Worsening Poverty Increases And Food Crisis

The United Nations has warned that about 35 million Nigerians are at risk of acute hunger between June and August 2026, as the country faces a deepening food crisis driven by conflict, inflation, and funding shortfalls.

The UN Humanitarian Country Team said nearly one in seven people nationwide could face acute food insecurity during this year’s lean season. The lean season, when household food stocks run low before the next harvest, runs from June to August and is expected to be one of the worst on record.

“This makes Nigeria one of the world’s largest hunger crises, with the burden falling overwhelmingly on northern Nigeria,” the UN said. The North-west and North-east are the hardest hit, where an estimated 6.4 million children are likely to be acutely malnourished this year.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall said the crisis is being worsened by a collapse in global aid funding. The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Nigeria is seeking $516 million to provide lifesaving aid to 2.5 million people, but as of May only $215 million had been received. That is just over 40% of the target.

“If assistance is further delayed, millions of families will be forced to reduce meals further, sell assets, or withdraw their children from school with the long-term impact that we know it has,” the UN warned.

The World Food Programme has already been forced to scale down nutrition programs in the northeast, cutting support for more than 300,000 children after funding ran out in late 2025. WFP Country Director David Stevenson said nearly 31 million people in Nigeria were facing acute hunger by mid-2025, and that figure has now climbed to 35 million.

Conflict and insecurity remain major drivers. Attacks by insurgent groups in the north have intensified through 2025, disrupting farming and displacing communities. A surge in violence killed more than 4,000 people in the first eight months of 2025 alone. Economic pressures, including high food inflation and climate shocks, have further strained households…See More