Nigeria is facing its worst hunger crisis in nearly 10 years, with thousands in the Northeast at risk of catastrophic food shortages as funding cuts cripple humanitarian response, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.
In a statement on Friday, the agency said people in parts of the region are facing extreme hunger for the first time in almost a decade, as reduced aid worsens malnutrition.
In Borno State alone, about 15,000 people are at immediate risk, while more than 13 million children across the Northeast are projected to suffer from malnutrition this year.
Although conflict, displacement and economic hardship have long fueled food insecurity, the WFP said recent cuts in humanitarian assistance are now overwhelming communities’ ability to survive.
“The reduced funding we saw in 2025 has deepened hunger and malnutrition across the region,” Sarah Longford, WFP’s deputy regional director for West and Central Africa, said.
The crisis is not limited to Nigeria. Across West and Central Africa, about 55 million people are facing severe food shortages, with over three-quarters of those affected living in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger.
While the WFP did not give specific figures on lost funding, aid agencies have raised concerns since the Trump administration began reducing assistance under its “America First” policy last year, alongside cuts by Britain and other countries to redirect spending toward defense.
Funding gaps in 2025 had already forced the WFP to scale back nutrition programmes in Nigeria, affecting more than 300,000 children, after the agency warned that nearly 35 million people could face hunger when resources ran low in December.
“In Nigeria, WFP will only be able to reach 72,000 people in February, a drastic reduction from the 1.3 million assisted during the 2025 lean season.”
The agency warned that without urgent funding and action, vulnerable communities in West and Central Africa are heading into another devastating year.
“To break the cycle of hunger for future generations, we need a paradigm shift in 2026. National governments and their partners must increase investment in preparedness, anticipatory action, and resilience-building to empower communities,” Longford said.
The WFP added that it urgently needs more than $453 million in the next six months to continue providing life-saving humanitarian assistance across the region.
The post Aid cuts causing extreme hunger in Nigeria’s northeast — UN appeared first on Vanguard News.
