Amidst a worsening food security and nutrition crisis in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states during the lean season (May to September), the Government of Nigeria, alongside national and international partners, has launched an appeal for US$306 million to expedite critical assistance. This includes food aid, nutrition supplies, clean water access, healthcare, and protection services for those severely affected by the situation.
Approximately 4.8 million people in the BAY states are confronting severe food insecurity, marking the highest levels recorded in seven years, according to the Government-led Cadre Harmonisé analysis released in March. Among the most vulnerable groups are children, pregnant and lactating women, older individuals, and people with disabilities. The appeal, titled the lean season food security and nutrition crisis multisector plan, aims to assist 2.8 million of these individuals with urgent interventions.
The crisis, exacerbated by soaring food prices, is primarily attributed to ongoing conflict and insecurity in the BAY states, compounded by the impacts of climate change. Prices of staple foods such as beans and maize have surged by 300 to 400 per cent over the past year due to the removal of fuel subsidies and the depreciation of the naira. Inflation is surpassing families’ coping capacities, rendering essential food items unaffordable.
Of great concern are the malnutrition rates, with approximately 700,000 children under five projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in the next six months, including 230,000 at risk of severe acute malnutrition and potential death without timely treatment and nutritional support.
In response, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, emphasized the importance of mobilizing funds and resources to address the crisis, aligning with the Federal Government’s efforts to prevent malnutrition-related deaths and other health issues.
To jumpstart the emergency response, the United Nations has allocated $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund. United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall stressed the need for collective action and resource mobilization to save lives and alleviate suffering.
UNICEF expressed deep concern over the escalating crisis, particularly the rise in severe acute malnutrition among children, underscoring the urgency of immediate action to ensure life-saving nutrition reaches every child in need.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stressed the need for urgent interventions to address both short- and long-term needs, emphasizing resilience-building through emergency agriculture support and agribusiness development.
The World Food Programme (WFP) emphasized the importance of transitioning from conflict to solutions, prioritizing access to nutritious foods through cash-based transfers and specialized nutritious foods.
With the lean season coinciding with the rainy season, there is an urgent need to improve access to drinking water, sanitation facilities, and hygiene to combat infectious diseases, particularly among the over 2 million internally displaced persons in camps and settlements in the BAY states.
Efforts to protect lives must be complemented by strengthening agricultural livelihoods, which sustain over 80 per cent of the vulnerable population across the BAY states. Limited funding for agricultural livelihoods perpetuates cyclical food insecurity.
This marks the fourth time the UN and humanitarian partners have launched an operational plan for the BAY states, highlighting the imperative to address root causes of hunger and malnutrition through peace-building efforts, enhanced access to essential healthcare, support for food production systems, social protection services, and climate change mitigation.
The lean season food security and nutrition crisis multisector plan is part of the 2024 UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria.