Aid Crisis Deepens as UN Warns 35 Million Nigerians Could Face Hunger in 2026

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Aid Crisis Deepens as UN Warns 35 Million Nigerians Could Face Hunger in 2026

Nearly 35 million Nigerians, including about three million children, could struggle to find enough food this year as international humanitarian funding dries up, the United Nations has warned.

The alert was issued on Thursday in Abuja during the launch of the UN’s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, where the organisation said Nigeria is now grappling with the consequences of a global aid system that is rapidly shrinking and no longer able to meet rising needs.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said the country’s humanitarian challenges have outgrown the long-standing foreign-driven aid model, describing it as unsustainable in the face of escalating insecurity, climate shocks and economic pressures.

The situation is particularly severe in the North-East, where communities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states continue to bear the brunt of violent attacks.

According to Fall, renewed waves of suicide bombings and armed assaults claimed over 4,000 lives in the first eight months of 2025 alone, equalling the total death toll recorded throughout 2023.

Despite the scale of the crisis, the UN says it can only mobilise $516 million this year—enough to support about 2.5 million people, a sharp drop from the 3.6 million assisted in 2025 and roughly half the number reached in earlier years.

“These figures are not just statistics,” Fall said. “They represent real people—families, children and futures at risk across Nigeria.”

Funding shortages last year also forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to scale back operations, cutting food support for more than 300,000 children after resources ran out in December. The agency has repeatedly cautioned that millions could slide into hunger without urgent financial support.

Amid the grim outlook, the UN acknowledged signs of increased national ownership of the humanitarian response, citing Nigeria’s recent investments in lean-season food assistance and early-warning measures to reduce the impact of flooding.

However, Fall stressed that without renewed international backing and stronger long-term solutions—particularly in agriculture, security and climate resilience the humanitarian situation could worsen, leaving millions more Nigerians vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition.

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Chioma Ndukwu

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