Hunger: 33.1 Million Residents Of FCT, Lagos, 24 Others To Struggle For Nutrients In 2025

The Cadre Harmonisé Report for October has projected that at least 33.1 million people in 26 states and the FCT will face a food and nutrition crisis between June and August 2025.

This forecast came from the CH Analysis Report, released in Abuja.

CH workshops aim to analyze available food security data and contributing factors to identify populations and areas at risk of food and nutrition insecurity in the country. These workshops also propose appropriate measures to prevent or mitigate ongoing food crises.

The analysis was conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), and other partners.

The affected states include Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, and Benue, along with Cross River, Enugu, Edo, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Ogun, Lagos, Rivers, and the FCT.

The report revealed that approximately 25 million people across the 26 states and the FCT are currently experiencing food crises with the 2025 forecast projecting that 514,474 Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara would be affected.

The FAO Country Representative to Nigeria and the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), Kouacou Koffy, called for urgent attention and a unified approach to address food and nutrition security in the country.

“With the concerted efforts of the government, CH stakeholders, and the international community, we can move closer to alleviating hunger and reducing suffering for Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations.

“We are facing unprecedented challenges affecting livelihoods and food and nutrition security globally, regionally, and nationally.”

Koffy noted that Nigeria is facing a combination of shocks, including economic factors driving up staple crop and agricultural commodity prices, climate-related events such as floods and droughts, and insecurity.

He stated, “CH analysis is the most reliable and widely accepted early warning tool for humanitarian programming, food security, and livelihood response targeting, as well as for prioritising development programmes.”

CH Focal Person for the National Programme on Food Security, Balama Dauda, identified key drivers of the food crisis as high prices of foodstuffs and non-food items, flooding, and insecurity.

The Permanent Secretary, FMAFS Temitope Fashedemi, pledged the government’s commitment to applying the report’s findings to guide food and nutrition security programmes across states.