Nigeria Faces Escalating Hunger Crisis: 34.7 million at Risk Without Urgent Action
Abuja - Nigeria – Nigeria is currently experiencing significant food security challenges, with an estimated 27.2 million people facing hunger across the country. According to the October 2025 Cadre Harmonisé analysis, this number could potentially rise to 34.7 million during the next lean season (June to August 2026), if timely and coordinated interventions are not implemented.
This result was presented in Abuja at the national consolidation and result presentation workshop by the representative of the government of Nigeria on behalf of the members of the CH Analysis cell, marked the culmination of a weeklong consolidation and analysis process led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Food programme (WFP), United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) and other development and humanitarian partners as well as donor agencies
Government and Partner Responses
Before the result was presented, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Dr. Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi called all stakeholders to action, noting that “data tells us where hunger is deepening, where nutrition outcomes are deteriorating, and where interventions are most urgently needed”.
“The results we are examining today go beyond data; they speak to the realities of millions of Nigerian households, especially those in vulnerable and crisis-affected areas. We must treat these findings as a call to sustained and coordinated action”. Dr. Ogunbiyi who represented the government of Nigeria at the presentation stated.
While emphasizing on the importance of accurate and credible data for sustainable policy implementation and the integrity of the CH process, the FAO Representative in Nigeria and to ECOWAS Dr. Husein Gadain stated that “the Cadre Harmonisé remains our most relevant early warning tool for guiding humanitarian and development responses”, but the inability to collect data from inaccessible areas in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe state continued to compromise effective planning and response efforts.
“To address this gap, targeted livelihoods support is urgently needed—not only to sustain affected communities but to prevent vulnerable households from sliding further into emergency levels of food insecurity”. Dr. Gadain said.
Drivers of the Crisis
According to the analysis, the worsening situation is driven by a combination of factors, persistent conflicts and violence in some of the renowned food production belts, economic shocks, armed violence, and organized crimes continue to erode resilience and deepen vulnerabilities in the north-central states of Benue, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau, while the northwestern states of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Kaduna are also affected. The north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba are also affected.
Other drivers include climate related shocks like prolonged dry-spells and floods in some communities. Declining purchasing power, high food inflation, the seasonal food stock depletion among others.
It would be recalled that the October 2025 CH result presentation was preceded by state-level analyses across 27 states and FCT with the technical and financial support of FAO, IPC Global Support Unit, UNICEF, WFP, Save the Children, Action Against Hunger, Mercy Corps, and Catholic Relief Services among others.
The analysis indicates that despite efforts put in place by government and partners, critical data gaps remain, especially in areas with high concentrations of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and regions affected by insecurity.
Call to Action
The Federal Government, in collaboration with international partners, is urged to scale up coordinated interventions to prevent escalation of the food insecurity situation. Without immediate and sustained action, millions more Nigerians could fall into acute food and nutrition insecurity, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation.
More on CH
The Cadre Harmonisé is one of the most trusted early warning tools for food and nutrition insecurity analysis in West Africa. It is based on consensual food and nutrition security analysis, conducted biannually (in March and October), and currently covers 27 states and the FCT. It represents a collaborative effort led by the Nigerian government, in association with regional technical agencies, UN bodies, and I/NGOs. The Cadre Harmonisé serves as a comprehensive tool to evaluate present and future food and nutrition security scenarios and proffers appropriate response interventions to avert a food crisis.
Related Links
https://www.ipcinfo.org/ch/
https://fscluster.org/nigeria/document/cadre-harmonise-results-food-and
Contacts for more details:
David Karls Tsokar Kelvin Nwachukwu
Communications Specialist Communication Specialist
FAO Nigeria FAO Nigeria
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