Africa-Press. The United Nations has warned that “nearly 35 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger this year, including 3 million children suffering from severe malnutrition, following the collapse of global aid budgets.”
Speaking at the launch of the 2026 Humanitarian Plan in Abuja, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall stated that “the foreign-led aid model, which has long prevailed in Nigeria, is no longer sustainable,” and that “Nigeria’s needs have increased.”
Fall pointed out that “the situation in the conflict-affected northeast of the country is catastrophic, with civilians in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states facing escalating violence,” adding that “an increase in suicide bombings and large-scale attacks resulted in over 4,000 deaths during the first eight months of 2025, equivalent to the total number of casualties for the entire year of 2023.”
The UN can provide only $516 million to deliver life-saving aid to 2.5 million people this year, down from 3.6 million in 2025, representing roughly half the previous year’s level.
Fall added, “These are not just statistics. These numbers represent lives, a future, and the Nigerian people,” noting that “the UN had no choice but to focus on the most life-saving interventions” due to the reduced available funding.
He also highlighted that “Nigeria has shown increased national ownership in recent months in responding to the crisis, through measures such as locally funded support for food during the dry season and the implementation of early warning systems for floods.”
