The United Nations agency, the World Food Programme, WFP, last week raised the alarm over an imminent food crisis in northern Nigeria if the government does not make a concerted effort to control the situation.
It warned that the escalating conflict and dwindling humanitarian funding were pushing northern Nigeria into its worst hunger crisis in nearly a decade, with millions of people facing severe and acute food insecurity.
The agency called for immediate financial support, without which hunger would deepen further, with more people being displaced and instability spreading across the region.
The warning, contained in the agency’s statement, confirmed the reality on ground, that Nigerians, particularly most northerners are living on edge with tension rising as the economic hardship continues to worsen by the day.
Many Nigerians blame the situation on the worsening insecurity which has prevented farmers from going to farm, with the resultant effect of food shortages, not only in the north but across Nigeria.
According to the WFP, the food security situation had deteriorated faster than previously projected, following the renewed attacks across northern Nigeria, which has continued to displace communities, restrict humanitarian access and cut people off from food assistance.
Recall that in March 2024, the WFP raised a similar alert when it stated that the inflation rate had exceeded 33 percent year-on-year, eroding the frail purchasing power of households in a country, where 38 percent of the citizens live below the poverty line.
In the same vein, the World Bank and the United Nations, had,
