Nigeria is facing a worsening malnutrition emergency, with millions of children at risk of death unless urgent action is taken, the United Nations has warned. According to the March 2025 Cadre Harmonisé food security survey, nearly 31 million Nigerians across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory are suffering acute food insecurity. Extrapolated nationwide, the figure could reach 40 million—an alarming number that surpasses the populations of many countries. Experts describe the situation as a “humanitarian catastrophe” demanding immediate intervention.
The crisis has left Nigeria with the highest burden of malnutrition in Africa, with 15 million children under five affected by various forms of undernutrition. Of these, at least 3.5 million are projected to slip into severe acute malnutrition (SAM). While the worst-hit states remain in the north—Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina—the problem has now spread southward, with rising cases reported in Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, and Osun, signaling a nationwide emergency that no region is spared from.
Humanitarian organizations warn that their capacity to respond is at breaking point. Treatment centers are overcrowded, with some facilities forcing two children to share a single hospital bed. The World Food Programme has already cautioned that its food pipeline could collapse by early September, while UNICEF’s stock of therapeutic supplies is expected to run dry by the end of the same month. Health systems are stretched thin, and families, already at the edge of survival, have exhausted coping strategies.
Officials warn that the consequences of inaction could be catastrophic. Projections show that at least 420,000 children under five could die from malnutrition before the year ends—translating to nearly 2,000 preventable child deaths each week during the lean season. Malnutrition is entirely treatable and preventable, yet funding shortfalls threaten to halt lifesaving interventions. International partners, the Nigerian government, and private stakeholders are being urged to scale up immediate and sustained investment in food and nutrition programs.
Beyond emergency response, experts emphasize the importance of long-term solutions. Malnutrition in early childhood can cause irreversible physical and cognitive damage, undermining the country’s human capital. “Every dollar and every naira invested in nutrition is an investment in Nigeria’s future,” said Mohamed Malick Fall, the UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria. He stressed that children like Musa, a young survivor of severe acute malnutrition in Katsina, represent both the devastating human toll and the potential for recovery—if action is taken without delay.
