Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
A group, Save the Children International (SCI) has raised serious concern of hunger in Nigeria, saying that 33 million Nigerians risk hunger and malnutrition as a result of economic hardship, insecurity, and flooding next year.
The organisation claimed that hunger had risen in Nigeria in recent years, up from about 7 percent of the population analysed by the UN in 2020 to 15 percent currently.
Country Director Duncan Harvey said in a statement that the situation is critical in the northwest and northeast, where ongoing conflict and insecurity are driving displacement and disrupting livelihoods.
“During this year’s lean season—the season between harvests—about 31.8 million people were estimated to be facing crisis or worse, acute food insecurity.
“Next year, it’s predicted that 33 million people in Nigeria will not know where their next meal will come from, including over 16 million children.
“In Nigeria, the crisis is reaching unprecedented levels as catastrophic climate disasters, escalating insecurity, and soaring prices threaten to leave over 16 million children hungry.
“Urgent action is essential to combat this devastating and unacceptable trend of child hunger and malnutrition and ensure a brighter future for Nigeria’s children.”
He called on governments to address food insecurity by tackling food shortages, stabilising rising prices, and increasing protection for farmers facing violence from armed groups.
According to him, governments also need to address the climate crisis by building communities’ resilience, as well as increasing awareness and early warning for people to prepare for climate-induced disasters.