THE United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has revealed that more than 8.4 million Nigerians in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states are in need of humanitarian aid due to looming food crisis.
The UN office, which made the disclosure in a statement on Friday, noted that after averting catastrophe in 2021, danger looms again for the people of North-East Nigeria if efforts were not sustained
“Preliminary results from the latest round of the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis project further deterioration of the food security situation in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in 2022, where more than 8.4 million people require humanitarian assistance and protection,” the statement said.
The organisation also noted that the number of acutely malnourished children and women is expected to significantly increase in 2022.
“These are anticipated to be the highest levels observed since the emergency period of 2016. The analysis indicates that 1.74 million children aged 6-59 months will need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2022,” the statement added.
The UN body said there has been an increase in the number of people in need of food security since October 2021.
“The March 2022 CH projects 4.1 million people in need (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Phase 3 or above) during the peak of the 2022 lean season, of whom an estimated almost 600,000 people are projected to be in an emergency situation (Phase 4).
“This is a 19 per cent increase in the number of people in need of food security assistance since the October 2021 analysis, including an alarming 28 per cent increase in the number of people in the emergency category,” the organisation said.
To avert the food crisis, the UN body said $1.1 billion is needed to support 5.5 million people.
It added that $351 million is urgently needed to deliver life-saving food security and nutrition assistance to the most affected people.
The looming food crisis is not peculiar to Nigeria’s North-East, it extends to many parts of West Africa.
A recent report by the Oxford Committee For Famine Relief (OXFAM) had said West Africa is currently facing its worst food crisis, with over 27 million people going hungry.
According to OXFAM, the number could rise to 38 million by June if care is not taken.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94