Funding Shortfall Puts Millions at Risk as WFP Faces Aid Cuts in Northern Nigeria

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Millions of vulnerable Nigerians, particularly in the conflict-affected northern region, could face worsening hunger in the coming weeks as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of an imminent reduction in food assistance due to a critical funding gap.

The humanitarian agency disclosed that more than a million people in North-east Nigeria may be cut off from emergency food and nutrition support if urgent funding is not secured. 

For the first time since it began large-scale operations in the country over a decade ago, WFP said it may be forced to scale down its reach to only about 72,000 beneficiaries.

Nigeria’s food security situation has steadily deteriorated over the years due to a combination of armed conflict, climate shocks, economic pressures, and displacement. 

Recent food security assessments project that close to 35 million Nigerians could experience acute hunger during the 2026 lean season, with the North-east and North-west bearing the heaviest burden.

Borno State, which has been at the centre of insurgency-related violence since 2009, remains one of the hardest hit.

Humanitarian data indicate that thousands of people in the state are currently facing extreme levels of food deprivation, a situation aid agencies describe as dangerously close to famine conditions.

Similar warning signs were last recorded during the peak of the Boko Haram crisis between 2016 and 2017, when international intervention helped avert widespread starvation.

WFP officials have cautioned that reducing food aid at this stage could trigger a chain reaction of humanitarian and security challenges. 

Past experience has shown that food shortages often lead to secondary displacement, as families abandon camps and host communities in search of survival. 

In some cases, prolonged hunger has also increased the risk of young people being drawn into criminal or extremist groups.

Since 2015, WFP has played a central role in Nigeria’s humanitarian response, delivering life-saving assistance to displaced persons and host communities while supporting local farmers through the purchase of food produced within the country. 

These interventions have helped stabilise fragile communities and reduce long-term dependency on aid.

However, renewed violence across several northern states has reversed many of these gains. In recent months, attacks on rural communities have forced millions from their homes, disrupted farming cycles, and depleted household food reserves. 

Health workers have also reported rising cases of child malnutrition, particularly in hard-to-reach areas where access to healthcare and clean water is limited.

With existing funds now exhausted, WFP said it urgently requires substantial financial support to continue operations over the next six months. Without this, the organisation warns that it may be unable to sustain food distributions in displacement camps and conflict-affected communities.

Humanitarian experts have repeatedly stressed that food assistance remains a critical stabilising force in northern Nigeria. 

As the country approaches another lean season amid persistent insecurity, aid agencies fear that failure to act swiftly could deepen an already fragile crisis and push millions further into hunger and poverty.