United Nations to suspend food programme in Nigeria.

 

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it may be compelled to halt all emergency food and nutrition assistance to 1.3 million individuals in North east Nigeria by the end of July, citing, ‘critical funding shortfalls’ within the organisation.

On Wednesday, July 23, WFP revealed that it is in urgent need of $130 million to avoid an impending disruption in its supply chain and to continue its food and nutrition initiatives through the end of 2025.
The agency stated that.

“WFP’s food and nutrition supplies are now fully depleted. The final stockpiles were dispatched from warehouses in early July, and humanitarian support will cease once the current distribution cycle concludes.”

The agency emphasised that this crisis is occurring amidst intensifying violence and unprecedented levels of hunger in the country.

WFP warned that without swift financial support, countless vulnerable individuals will face dire options grappling with worsening hunger, resorting to migration, or potentially falling into the hands of extremist factions in the region.

This WFP declaration concerning the suspension of aid in Nigeria’s conflict ridden northeastern region follows roughly seven months after the Trump administration’s substantial 92 per cent reduction in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign assistance budget.

This severe funding cut has significantly hindered the agency’s ability to fund developmental programs in nations like Nigeria.

At the same time, the negative repercussions of the U.S. government’s abrupt funding freeze are being felt across essential sectors especially health and nutrition in Africa and other Global South countries that have long depended on American aid for their stability and growth.

Reacting to the organisation’s decision, David Stevenson, the WFP Country Director for Nigeria, said.
“acute hunger in Nigeria.”

He revealed that nearly 31 million people across the country are currently experiencing acute hunger marking an all-time high.

“Simultaneously, WFP’s operations in northeastern Nigeria are on the brink of collapse without prompt and consistent funding. This has gone beyond a humanitarian emergency; it now threatens regional security, as families pushed to the edge are left with no alternatives,” he said.

WFP warned that children would be among the most severely impacted should aid cease, explaining that more than 150 nutrition clinics supported by WFP in Borno and Yobe states would shut down, halting crucial treatment for over 300,000 children under the age of two and greatly increasing their risk of acute malnutrition.

In the northern areas affected by conflict, the UN agency stated that the surge in violence from extremist elements continues to displace large numbers of people, with approximately 2.3 million individuals across the Lake Chad Basin forced to flee, overwhelming the limited resources of host communities and pushing them toward collapse.

Stevenson added.

“Once emergency aid stops, many will be forced to migrate in search of food and shelter. Others may resort to harmful coping strategies including the possibility of joining insurgent groups just to survive.”

He stressed, “Food support often helps prevent such outcomes. It enables us to nourish families, stimulate local economies, and contribute to sustainable recovery.”

During the first half of 2025, WFP managed to avert severe hunger across Northern Nigeria, reaching 1.3 million individuals through vital food and nutrition programmes.
The agency added that an additional 720,000 people had been scheduled to receive assistance in the latter half of the year, but the lack of funds has placed those life saving plans in jeopardy.

The agency concluded.

“WFP possesses both the capability and the know how to implement and expand its humanitarian efforts, but this severe funding gap is stalling our mission.”

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