The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised the alarm over a looming humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, citing a severe funding shortfall that threatens essential health, nutrition, education, and water projects across the country.
Speaking in Maiduguri on Monday during the 2025 World Humanitarian Day commemoration, UNICEF’s Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Francis Butichi, disclosed that the organisation had received only $95 million out of the $255 million required for its 2025 operations. The deficit leaves a funding gap of $160 million (about N240 billion), representing a 67 per cent shortfall.
“We are all aware of the global funding cut that has threatened humanitarian operations across the world. The impact is profoundly crushing at the local level, where conflict, climate change and disease outbreaks are recurrent,” Butichi said.
He noted that many communities in the North-East are already struggling with floods and dwindling services in Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps.
“UNICEF calls on all of us to get involved in local humanitarian efforts, whether through donations, volunteering, or advocacy. The needs are many,” he added.
Despite the constraints, UNICEF said it had reached over 1.3 million people with health services, treated 340,000 children for severe malnutrition, provided safe water for 185,000 people, and enrolled 500,000 displaced children in schools this year.
Butichi further urged the private sector, governments, and donors to channel more support to local governments and civil society organisations delivering frontline services.
“Life-saving nutrition, immunisation, health and protection services for conflict, flood and displaced communities must not stop,” he stressed.
Northern States Brace for Impact
Some northern states have begun taking measures to mitigate the possible impact of UNICEF’s funding shortfall.
In Gombe, the Director-General of Press Affairs, Government House, Ismaila Misilli, told The PUNCH that the state had anticipated the challenge and made budgetary provisions to protect vulnerable populations.
“Before the US policy of cutting USAID and other agencies’ funding, Gombe State had already taken proactive measures,” he said. “We provided special budgetary allocations for healthcare, education, human capital development and out-of-school children. So, there is a plan along that line.”
Kebbi State also reiterated its commitment to sustaining UNICEF-backed programmes. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, said the government had already met its obligations.
“The issue of UNICEF being broke is not our concern. What matters is that, as a government, we have paid our counterpart funding to all donor agencies operating in Kebbi State,” he said. “Even if UNICEF faces funding constraints, this administration will not relax.”
Similarly, a senior official in Sokoto confirmed that Governor Ahmed Aliyu recently approved N500 million as counterpart funding for UNICEF projects across key sectors, while setting aside additional funds for service delivery.
“The government is committed to sustaining UNICEF programmes, particularly in health, education and humanitarian support,” the source said.
In Jigawa, however, officials admitted that the shortfall could significantly affect the delivery of critical health services such as nutrition, immunisation, and safe water access.
A senior health ministry official explained that the state was ramping up vaccination campaigns, malnutrition treatment and clean water provision through partnerships with civil society and community volunteers.
“Many vulnerable residents depend on these services, especially with recurrent floods and displacement caused by climate and security issues,” the official said, stressing the urgency of collective action.
