UN Warns 35 Million Nigerians Face Acute Hunger as Lean Season Approaches

NEW YORK: The United Nations has issued a stark warning regarding a deepening humanitarian crisis in Nigeria, projecting that approximately 35 million people—nearly one in seven citizens—are at risk of acute food insecurity during the upcoming lean season from June to August.

According to the UN Humanitarian Country Team, the impending shortage positions Nigeria as one of the world's largest hunger crises. The burden of the food scarcity is expected to fall overwhelmingly on the northern region of the country.

Severe Threat to Children and Families

The UN emphasized that immediate intervention is critical to prevent severe socio-economic fallout. Without urgent assistance, millions of families will be forced into extreme coping mechanisms, including:

• Further reducing daily meal portions.

• Selling off essential household and agricultural assets.

• Withdrawing children from school, triggering long-term developmental and educational consequences.

The crisis poses an especially high risk to youth. Across the North-west and North-east regions, an estimated 6.4 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year.

Critical Funding Shortfalls

In response to the escalating emergency, the UN and its humanitarian partners are urgently appealing to international donors for funding to scale up life-saving operations.

The 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Nigeria—which had already been heavily prioritized to focus only on the most critical needs—requires $516 million. However, as of May 2026, the plan remains severely underfunded:

With less than half of the required budget secured, aid agencies warn that further delays in financial support will significantly limit their capacity to deliver vital food and medical assistance before the peak of the lean season.