In a recent statement, Mr Matthias Schmale, the United Nations’ top humanitarian official in Nigeria, shed light on the dire situation of severe hunger plaguing Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
According to Schmale, an estimated 4.3 million individuals are currently affected by this crisis.
During a press conference held in Geneva on Wednesday, Schmale expressed grave concern over the escalating number of children under five facing life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.
He revealed that within a year, the figure has doubled to reach a staggering 700,000.
Having personally witnessed the distressing conditions in Borno and the neighboring states, Schmale emphasized the heart-wrenching struggles of mothers fighting to save the lives of their malnourished children in nutrition stabilisation centers.
He urged those who are parents to contemplate the anguish of being unable to provide sufficient food for their own children.
Schmale attributed the “catastrophic” situation primarily to over a decade of insecurity caused by non-State armed groups, rendering farming and land-based income generation nearly impossible.
Climate change and extreme weather events have further aggravated the crisis, with Nigeria experiencing the worst floods in a decade last year, affecting over 4.4 million people across the country, not limited to the northeast region.
The soaring prices of food, fuel, and fertilizers have compounded the already dire circumstances, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
Regrettably, the response to this emergency remains severely underfunded.
According to the UN official, only 25 percent of the required $1.3 billion in humanitarian funding for the region has been secured thus far, leaving a substantial shortfall in resources.
Urgent action is needed to address this devastating situation and alleviate the suffering of millions in Nigeria’s northeastern states.
