Over 300,000 Nigerian children at risk of malnutrition as WFP halts food aid

More than 300,000 children under the age of two in Nigeria’s north-east are at risk of malnutrition following the suspension of food aid by the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP).

Tanko Sununu, minister of state for humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, spoke in Abuja on Monday at the inauguration of the house of representatives ad hoc committee on flood management and response.

Sununu said the WFP halted its intervention “a few days ago”, leaving thousands of families vulnerable.

“Globally, humanitarian funding is shrinking, and Nigeria is not exempt,” the minister said. “Just a few days ago, the World Food Programme suspended some of its activities, which had supported more than 1.2 million Nigerians with emergency transfers in the north-east. This leaves over 300,000 children at risk of malnutrition, while more than 200,000 are already receiving treatment.”

In July, the WFP had warned that the suspension of its operations could affect about 1.3 million people in Borno and Yobe states.

The agency noted that more than 150 nutrition clinics would shut down, ending potentially life-saving treatment for children under two.

David Stevenson, WFP’s country director in Nigeria, described the scale of hunger as alarming, with nearly 31 million people across the country facing acute food insecurity.

The minister highlighted the wider burden of poverty in northern Nigeria, noting that the region accounts for around 65 percent of the country’s impoverished population.

“Out of this 65 percent, more than 70 percent are smallholder farmers. Sadly, most of them have lost their farmlands and livelihoods to floods and droughts,” Sununu said.

He explained that the federal government is responding through the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), which includes support for vulnerable families and smallholder farmers. Under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), he said farmers have received interest-free loans of N300,000 each to help them recover from climate-related losses.

According to Sununu, more than 5.9 million households — about 25 million Nigerians — have so far received N419 billion in conditional cash transfers aimed at cushioning hardship and reducing poverty.

The suspension of WFP aid reveals the growing challenge of bridging humanitarian gaps as donor funding shrinks, leaving millions in conflict-affected and climate-hit communities at the brink of hunger.