Aid organisations, including the World Food Programme (WFP), have issued a stark warning over a worsening hunger crisis in Nigeria, cautioning that hundreds of thousands of children could die if funding shortages are not addressed.
The situation is especially severe in northern Nigeria, where millions have fled violence perpetrated by terrorist groups. According to the WFP, 600,000 children are at risk of dying due to a lack of emergency food assistance.
“There are millions of people who need our help,” said Ancel Kats of the WFP in Nigeria. “But the funding isn’t forthcoming.”
Until early 2025, the United States provided more than half of Nigeria’s humanitarian aid. However, weeks after his inauguration, President Donald Trump announced the dismantling of USAID, causing a sharp decline in foreign aid. Other Western nations have also cut their development budgets in the wake of the U.S. decision.
The funding shortfall has already forced the WFP to close over 150 malnutrition clinics across Nigeria and left it $115 million short to sustain current operations. In Bama, Borno State, food distribution programs have been scaled back, with aid now limited to only the most vulnerable.
“They all depend on WFP to distribute this food for them to eat,” said Soumbami Tukunabo, an aid worker for the Italian organisation InterSOS. “It would be very bad to tell them that due to global funding cuts there is going to be a reduction in caseload.”
The crisis extends beyond food aid. Since the withdrawal of U.S. support, Nigeria has lost approximately $600 million in health funding, nearly one-fifth of its total health budget. Aid groups warn that the combined impact of food and health funding cuts could push millions deeper into hunger and hardship unless urgent international assistance is restored.
