The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, has said over 4.3 million Nigerians in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are affected by severe hunger and malnutrition.
In a statement published on the UN site, he disclosed that the number of children under five at risk of life-threatening severe acute malnutrition had doubled in one year to reach 700,000.
He said millions of people in the region are facing hunger and children’s lives are on the line amid a protracted conflict and intensifying climate change.
According to him, the “catastrophic” situation is primarily the result of more than a decade of insecurity linked to non-state armed groups, which prevents people from farming and earning an income from the land.
He said another harmful factor is climate change and extreme weather impacts, noting that 2022 saw the worst floods in 10 years in Nigeria, which affected more than 4.4 million people across the country, not just the Northeast.
Soaring food prices, fuel and fertilisers have exacerbated the crisis, and the response remains severely underfunded, he further noted.
The UN official added that out of the $1.3 billion in humanitarian funding needed for the region, only 25 per cent was secured
Recently, the prices of major foodstuffs and other essential goods started rising in Nigeria in response to the hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, following the announcement by President Bola Tinubu that the era of subsidy on the product is gone.
During his inaugural speech on May 29, Tinubu said the era of subsidy payment on fuel had ended, adding that with the 2023 budget making no provision for it, further subsidy payment was no longer justifiable.
He added that his administration would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy.
