Nearly 35 million Nigerians are at risk of hunger in 2026, including about 3 million children facing severe malnutrition, the United Nations has warned, citing a sharp contraction in global humanitarian aid budgets.
The warning was issued on Thursday in Abuja by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, at the launch of the country’s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan.
Fall said Nigeria’s humanitarian needs have expanded significantly while the traditional, foreign-led aid model that has sustained emergency responses for years is no longer viable.
“The long-dominant aid model is no longer sustainable, and Nigeria’s needs have grown,” he said.
Northeast Crisis Worsens
According to Fall, conditions remain particularly dire in Nigeria’s conflict-affected northeast, where civilians in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states continue to face escalating violence and insecurity.
He said a surge in suicide bombings and widespread attacks had resulted in more than 4,000 deaths in the first eight months of 2025, a figure that already equals the total number of fatalities recorded in all of 2023.
Funding Shrinks, Coverage Reduced
Fall disclosed that the UN is targeting just $516 million in humanitarian funding for 2026, enough to provide lifesaving assistance to 2.5 million people.
This represents a sharp reduction from 3.6 million people assisted in 2025, which itself was already about half of the previous year’s coverage, underscoring the scale of the funding shortfall.
“These are not statistics,” Fall said. “These numbers represent lives, futures and Nigerians.”
Given the decline in available resources, he said the UN has been forced to prioritise only the most critical, lifesaving interventions.
Children at Risk
The funding gaps have already had tangible consequences. Last year, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that millions of Nigerians could face hunger after its resources ran out in December, forcing it to cut food assistance to more than 300,000 children.
The UN said the situation remains fragile, with malnutrition rates among children rising in several high-risk areas.
Despite the challenges, Fall noted signs of increased national ownership of the humanitarian response, citing local funding for lean-season food support and improved early-warning actions for flooding as recent positive steps.
He stressed, however, that without sustained funding and coordinated action, the scale of food insecurity and malnutrition could worsen in the coming months.