The UN’s top humanitarian official in Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale, has cried out that no fewer than 4.3 million people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states are facing severe hunger.
Schmale told journalists in Geneva on Wednesday that the number of children under five at risk of life-threatening severe acute malnutrition has doubled in one year to reach 700,000.
Decrying the situation in North East Nigeria, Schmale said: “I have been to Borno and the other two states several times.
“I’ve seen mothers fighting for lives of theirmalnourished children in nutrition stabilisation centres.
“Those of us who are parents must imagine what it’s like when you cannot ensure your children have enough to eat,” he said.
According to him, the “catastrophic” situation is primarily the result of more than a decade of insecurity linked to non-State armed groups, which prevents people from farming and earning income from the land.
Another harmful factor is climate change and extreme weather impacts.
Last year saw the worst floods in 10 years in Nigeria, which affected more than 4.4 million people across the country, not just the north-east.
Soaring prices of food, fuel and fertilizers have exacerbated the crisis, and the response remains severely underfunded.
The UN official said out of the $1.3 billion in humanitarian funding needed for the region, only 25 per cent has been secured so far.