Shock as UN moves to suspend food aid for Nigerians – see reason
Shock as UN Plans to Suspend Food Aid for Nigerians — Here’s Why
24th July, 2025
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a potential suspension of emergency food and nutrition aid to over 1.3 million people in North-East Nigeria by the end of July due to a severe funding crisis.
WFP’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Margot van der Velden, raised the alarm on Wednesday during a briefing on Nigeria’s growing humanitarian emergency. She revealed that the agency urgently requires $130 million to continue life-saving assistance over the next six months.
“In Nigeria today, 31 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity and urgently need help,” van der Velden stated. “To put it in perspective, this is like the entire population of Texas going hungry.”
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According to her, WFP had managed to contain hunger in northern Nigeria during the first half of 2025. However, dwindling donor support has left the agency unable to replenish food supplies. The final food dispatches were made in early July.
“Come August, we face the painful task of telling families that food assistance will stop—not because the crisis is over, but because funding has run out,” she said.
If funding is not secured, 1.3 million people, including 300,000 infants, will be cut off from food aid. Additionally, 150 nutrition clinics will close, leaving thousands of malnourished children without treatment.
Van der Velden also warned that the worsening situation could drive vulnerable individuals toward desperate options, including unsafe migration or recruitment into insurgent groups.
Despite the dire outlook, she praised the Nigerian government’s ongoing efforts, noting that it remains the biggest contributor to the regional humanitarian response. Still, she emphasized that international support is urgently needed to address the scale of the crisis.