UN Allocates N16.8bn To Address Food Insecurity In Northeast Nigeria

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund has allocated $11 million (16.8 billion) to address Nigeria’s northeast’s increasingly worsening Nigeria’s crisis.

This was disclosed on Wednesday by UN Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, who said the acute malnutrition in the region is increasing rapidly.

Acute malnutrition is increasing rapidly in northeast #Nigeria and food insecurity has reached the highest level in 7 years.

To provide immediate support to the most vulnerable, I’ve allocated $11 million from @UNCERF. This is a start – more support is needed. pic.twitter.com/K6IudwsOTK

— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) June 26, 2024

According to Griffiths, the food crisis in the country’s northeast is a challenge requiring urgent attention.

This is a result of the prevailing insecurity posed by terrorist and undesignated armed groups, who, according to reports, impose illegal taxation on farmers while local armed bandits ravage their farmlands via open grazing.

In addition, NigerNigeria’s insecurity has been projected to worsen by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which, in a 2023 report, indicated that over 26.5 million people will be food insecure by 2024.

In the report, the United Nations urged the Nigerian government, donors, and stakeholders to commit resources and implement measures to avert a potential food and nutrition disaster, emphasising the need for immediate support across the nation.

Meanwhile, some states in Nigeria were faced with environmental problems such as flooding, hence a decline in staple food production.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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