UN Warns 35 Million Nigerians Could Face Acute Hunger in 2026
The United Nations has warned that an estimated 35 million Nigerians may experience acute food insecurity in 2026, with around three million children at risk of severe malnutrition.
The warning was issued on Thursday, January 22, by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Nigeria, amid shrinking global humanitarian funding.
Speaking during the launch of the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan in Abuja, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Malick Fall, said Nigeria’s growing humanitarian needs have outpaced the traditional foreign-led aid system, which he described as increasingly unsustainable.
Fall noted that the humanitarian situation in Nigeria’s conflict-affected northeast remains critical, particularly in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states, where civilians continue to face escalating insecurity. He disclosed that renewed attacks and suicide bombings resulted in over 4,000 deaths within the first eight months of 2025, equalling the total recorded throughout 2023.
According to him, the UN is targeting $516 million in funding this year to support 2.5 million people with lifesaving assistance, a reduction from 3.6 million beneficiaries in 2025 and significantly lower than previous years.
“These figures are not just numbers; they represent real lives and futures,” Fall said, adding that limited funding has forced the UN to prioritise only the most critical interventions.
He also recalled that funding gaps last year compelled the World Food Programme to scale back assistance, leaving hundreds of thousands of children without support after resources were exhausted.
Despite the challenges, Fall acknowledged increased national involvement in addressing the crisis, citing government-backed food support during the lean season and improved early-warning measures for flooding as positive steps forward.
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