Nigeria Tops Global Food Insecurity List With 31.8 Million People Acutely Affected, Says WFP

No fewer than 31. 8 million people in Nigeria are acutely food insecure, the highest number globally, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has said.

Compared to the 2023 lean season, 28 per cent more people are facing acute food insecurity this year – 4.8 million people in the North-east and 6.2 million people in the North-west, WFP said.

Citing the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) dashboard, in its “WFP Nigeria: Situation Report #82 -19 September 2024,” the organisation said

1,075,485 people have been affected by flooding countrywide, with the highest prevalence in the North-east and North-west.

“The floods have also destroyed 442,790 hectares of crop and increasing malnutrition rates in the North-east and North-west states-

“The number of severely and moderately malnourished children admitted at treatment facilities has on average increased by 41 per cent and 70 per cent respectively compared to 2023.

“Persisting macroeconomic crisis with food inflation near the 30-year record. Prices of staple foods like maize, millet, sorghum and beans averaging between 100-300 per cent beyond last year prices across surveyed markets.

“To complement the flood response by the government, WFP is providing hot meals in the temporary camps set up for flood affected people, reaching 77,698 people with hot meals across the four camps within 3 days.

“Beyond the flood response, WFP is delivering assistance to 1.6 million people in September across the North-east and northwest for emergency assistance and resilience building.

“The main driver of food insecurity in Nigeria is the continued conflict in the northeast and the escalating clashes in the northwest and north-central, which disrupts livelihood activities, limits access to income-generating activities, drives population displacement and constrains sustainable food production.

“Inflation has skyrocketed and is not decreasing as expected with the start of the current harvest,” the UN agency said.

According to the WFP, the severe floods since July 2024 have increased displacement and worsened the challenges to food security, adding that its Advanced Disaster Analysis & Mapping (ADAM) reports 1.9 million hectares of flooded areas, including 442,000 hectares of crops destroyed ahead of the harvest.

“The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reports that over half a million people have been displaced by flooding in the northeast and northwest states.

“This is in addition to over 3.6 million internally displaced people in the North-east and Northwest as of June 2024.

“Malnutrition rates in northern Nigeria are exceeding lean season projections due to disease prevalence, high recurring displacements, and access constraints,”  WFP.

Ndubuisi Francis

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