A recent report has highlighted the dire situation of food insecurity across Nigeria, with particularly alarming conditions in the northern regions plagued by violence.
In states like Borno, Yobe, Katsina, and Zamfara, one in three children face uncertainty about their next meal.
The report places Nigeria at crisis level 3 on the IPC scale, predicting that approximately 490,000 children, primarily in Borno and Katsina, will experience catastrophic hunger this year.
The country Director for Save the Children, Nigeria, Duncan Harvey stated that a third of the children in the aforementioned northern states do not know where their next meal will come from.
The overall increase in food insecurity is attributed to factors such as high food inflation, currently at 40% as of March 2024, and escalating violence and banditry, especially in agricultural areas. According to SBM Intelligence, farmers across the country are paying substantial sums, averaging up to N100,000, to bandits for permission to farm, predominantly in northern regions.
Furthermore, the World Bank’s January Food Security update warned that seven states in Northern Nigeria, particularly in the North-east and North-west, are expected to face severe hunger in 2024. The Cadre d’Harmonise estimates that the number of hungry people across Nigeria in 2024 will reach 32 million, an increase from the earlier projection of 26 million, underscoring the worsening food security crisis in the country.
