Nigeria faces starvation crisis as UN food programme runs out of money and supplies

More than a million people in Nigeria are at risk of starvation after the World Food Programme (WFP) announced it will run out of funds this month, following massive cuts to international aid.

The UN agency, which serves as the last line of defence against hunger, says it has no money left to continue feeding 1.3 million people who rely on its support. From August, that number will drop to zero.

Nigeria is grappling with a perfect storm of crises: ongoing attacks from Boko Haram terrorists, extreme weather caused by climate change, and a struggling economy. In April, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency over food security.

The situation is particularly dire in Nigeria’s northern regions, where flooding has destroyed farmland and infrastructure. “The rainy season has just become the flooding season,” Chi Lael, WFP Nigeria’s spokesperson, told The Independent. Recent floods in Niger State were described as the worst in 60 years.

The Lake Chad Basin, which spans Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, has been hit especially hard. This region is home to 3 million internally displaced people who have fled violence and natural disasters. Many have been living in refugee camps for over a decade.

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The crisis deepened when the Trump administration terminated more than 80% of USAID’s aid contracts, which had been providing nearly half of WFP Nigeria’s funding. Nigeria lost almost $200 million in aid – a devastating blow that left humanitarian organisations scrambling.

“Our office is completely stunned right now,” Lael told The Independent. “We don’t have any contingency. We don’t have any carry-over.”

The cuts will force the closure of 150 nutrition clinics in July alone, meaning 300,000 malnourished children will lose access to life-saving treatment. Currently, only 20% of malnourished children in Nigeria receive necessary care, with malnutrition contributing to 45% of deaths among children under five.

The crisis affects real families like 40-year-old Murka, who supports 10 children and her husband’s elderly parents. “The WFP food ration only lasts us for 15 days, and after that, we start struggling again,” she says. “Sometimes I don’t eat just to ensure that I feed my husband’s elderly parents and my children.”

For many displaced people, food assistance represents their only hope. Without it, they face terrible choices: stay and risk starvation, move to areas with no better prospects, or submit to terrorist groups like Boko Haram.

Humanitarian experts have warned that the Lake Chad Basin crisis risks being forgotten as attention focuses on other global emergencies. And with funding at critically low levels across the region, the situation looks set to worsen.

“Nigeria’s stability is crucial for regional stability,” Lael told The Independent. No one knows what the future holds for these affected people.