By 2024, Nigeria is expected to see some 26. 5 million people suffering from high levels of food insecurity, as revealed by the Government of Nigeria and its partners at the launch of the October 2023 Cadre Harmonisé study on food insecurity.
In addition, an estimated nine million young people are at risk of acute malnutrition or wasting. Of these, an alarming 2. 6 million young people could face severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and require critical nutritional treatment.
Cadre Harmonisé, an initiative focused on food and nutrition analysis, conducts studies every two years (in March and October) in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). With government and United Nations (UN) system leadership, the latest projections for 2024 imply a sharp increase in the 18. 6 million people recently vulnerable to food insecurity from October to December 2023.
Several factors are driving this shift, in addition to ongoing conflicts, the effects of climate change, escalating inflation, and emerging costs of essential food and non-food goods (in part due to the devaluation of the naira and the end of fuel subsidies). Ongoing violence in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) is hampering the availability of food.
In addition, armed banditry and kidnappings in the north-western and north-central states of Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Benue and Niger are exacerbating existing economic struggles.
Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Safety, highlighted the importance of the presentation of the Cadre Harmonisé in Abuja. Represented through Ms. Fausat Lawal, Director of Special Functions, Umekhihe noted that despite the government’s measures, external demanding situations persist, such as the existing global economic effects of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, which are disrupting food systems.
Of the 18. 6 million people facing food distrust today, 3. 3 million live in the northeastern states of the Bay Area. That number could reach 26. 5 million nationally through the peak of the lean season in 2024 (and up to 4. 4 million in the Bay Area). states) if immediate action is not taken.
Dominique Koffy Kouacou, FAO Acting Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, while calling on the government to expand the CH policy for the remaining 10 states, said FAO will continue to help the government and other people in Nigeria overcome food mistrust and malnutrition.
He said: “In 2024, together with our partners, FAO will transform agrifood systems with a specific focus on the resilience of construction, agriculture, livestock, fisheries and the provision of nutrition-sensitive extension services. “
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the October 2023 floods in Adamawa affected approximately 8,500 households, leading to mass displacement, especially among women, youth, and the elderly. “Lack of confidence in food and malnutrition are among the main reasons for humanitarian desires in the Bay States,” said Trond Jensen, OCHA Country Director in Nigeria.
“People were forced to adopt negative coping mechanisms, such as child sex and child labour, in order to stay alive. Over the past year, dozens of farmers have lost their lives and others have been abducted or injured while earning a living in the open, within the security perimeters of Borno’s garrison towns, due to the limited amount of agricultural land and few or no livelihood options.
UNICEF’s Country Representative, Ms. Cristian Munduate, stressed the urgency of action. She said: “Every child deserves good enough nutrition and a life free from hunger. It is not only a duty, but an ethical duty for governments and the global network, that these rights are respected. »
Highlighting this long-standing problem, David Stevenson, WFP’s Country Representative, said: “The famine crisis in Nigeria, fuelled by the ongoing fighting in the north-east, must be urgently addressed and the prospects of the north-east as the centre of the country realised. “food basket. “
Studies of trends in northeastern states indicate consistently high or increasing levels of food mistrust since 2018. More than four million people have needed emergency assistance each year since June 2020. The United Nations is urging the Nigerian government: Donors and stakeholders to allocate resources and put in place measures to avert a potential food and nutrition catastrophe, highlighting the need for promptness across the country.
© Press 2023
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