Nigeria: ‘1 Million Children At Risk of Malnutrition in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe’

At least one million children in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2025, double the number in 2024.

Of these children, over 600,000 are at risk of SAM over the next six months. Without access to lifesaving nutrition services, they may die.

An estimated 4.6 million people in the BAY states are also projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season starting in June, according to the Government-led Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis results released in March 2025.

This marks the sixth consecutive year of severe conditions.

Consequently, Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, on Tuesday launched a US$159 million 2025 Lean Season Response Plan for the three states.

The Plan seeks the funds for urgent nutrition, food, and health interventions and other life-saving assistance for 2 million people in the most severe need in the BAY states over the next six months.

In his remarks at the launch of the Plan in Abuja, Minister Yilwatda emphasised the need for urgent action.

“This Plan is not just about structures and strategies. It is about a promise that no child in Borno, Adamawa, or Yobe should have to sleep hungry when the world has enough food; that no mother should lose a child to a condition we know how to treat, and that dignity must never be a casualty of conflict or poverty,” he said.

He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to leading the response, aligning it to national policies.

“Humanitarianism is under threat; solidarity is in short supply, and the lack of resources is putting millions, especially children, at risk,” the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said.

The BAY states are grappling with a 15-year humanitarian crisis, which has been intensified by prolonged conflict, economic instability, and climatic shocks.

Significant funding cuts for humanitarian operations in 2025 have multiplied the severity of needs and limited access to much-needed lifesaving support.

The health and nutrition sectors have been particularly impacted in the BAY states, with up to 70 per cent of health services and 50 per cent of nutrition services affected.

By Daily Trust.