FROM THE FIELD: 4.4 million Nigerians facing ‘catastrophic food conditions’

A pair of hands holds a mound of peanuts and other grains, illustrating the raw materials for a nutritious food supplement.

UNOCHA/Damilola Onafuwa Farmers in northeastern Nigeria have been unable to cultivate their crops because of insecurity.

FROM THE FIELD: 4.4 million Nigerians facing ‘catastrophic food conditions’

2 July 2021 Humanitarian Aid

Some 4.4 million people in Nigeria are facing what the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, is describing as “catastrophic food conditions”.

A combination of insecurity caused by terrorist groups, the effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, have meant that people in the northeast of the country are struggling to get enough to eat; OCHA says 775,000 are at “extreme risk”.

A Nigerian woman in a green dress holds a baby and a bag of Super Cereal P1 food aid inside a tent. — A mother and daughter receive food from the World Food Programme at a camp for displaced people in Maiduguri, Nigeria. **UNOCHA/Damilola Onafuwa**

Many are farmers but are unable to grow their crops fearing for their personal safety, and so rely on humanitarian support “as their only lifeline”.

Read more here about how humanitarian agencies continue to face up to the increasing challenges of getting aid to the people who need it most.

Find out more about OCHA’s work in Nigeria.

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