Aid organisations, including the World Food Programme (WFP), are sounding the alarm over an unprecedented hunger crisis unfolding in Nigeria, particularly in the country’s northern regions, where millions are fleeing violence from terrorist groups. Humanitarian agencies warn that up to 600,000 children are at risk of dying from severe malnutrition.
Despite the growing demand for emergency assistance, humanitarian funding to Nigeria has plummeted in recent years. Last summer, the WFP was forced to shut down more than 150 nutrition clinics that had been treating malnourished children and infants.
“There are millions of people who need our help,” said Ancel Kats, WFP’s representative in Nigeria. “But the funding isn’t forthcoming.”
Funding Collapse After U.S. Cuts
Until early this year, the United States accounted for more than half of Nigeria’s foreign aid. However, a few weeks after his inauguration, President Donald Trump announced the dismantling of USAID, leading to a sharp decline in U.S. and Western development funding.
While humanitarian agencies initially managed to cushion the impact, the loss of U.S. support is now being deeply felt. WFP says it faces a funding shortfall of more than $115 million in Nigeria alone, forcing it to scale back operations across Africa.
Impact on Refugee Camps and Health Programs
In Bama, a major refugee camp in Borno State, food distribution has already been reduced, leaving only the most vulnerable families eligible for rations.
“They all depend on WFP to distribute this food for them to eat,” said Soumbami Tukunabo, an aid worker with the Italian organisation InterSOS. “It would be devastating to tell them that due to global funding cuts, there will be even fewer supplies.”
Beyond food aid, other critical programs are collapsing. Since USAID’s closure, Nigeria has lost $600 million in health funding roughly 20% of its total health budget further straining the country’s fragile humanitarian system.
With millions of Nigerians now facing starvation, aid agencies warn that without urgent international action, the crisis could escalate into one of Africa’s worst humanitarian disasters in decades.
