WFP Warns of Aid Halt for 1.3 Million in Nigeria Amidst Funding Crisis

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued an urgent appeal to the international community, warning that it will be forced to suspend emergency food and nutrition assistance to 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria by the end of July 2025 due to a severe funding shortfall. The organization’s remaining food supplies were depleted in early July, and current distributions mark the end of available life-saving aid.

This alarming development comes at a time when escalating violence, mass displacement, and record levels of hunger have plunged millions into a deepening humanitarian crisis across Nigeria’s northern region.

Escalating Hunger and Instability in Nigeria

WFP’s Country Director for Nigeria, David Stevenson, sounded the alarm, stating that nearly 31 million people in Nigeria are currently facing acute hunger—the highest figure ever recorded in the country. Of those, a significant number are located in conflict-ravaged Borno and Yobe states, where WFP has been operating over 150 nutrition clinics to support vulnerable children and families.

“WFP’s operations in northeast Nigeria will collapse without immediate, sustained funding. This is no longer just a humanitarian crisis—it’s a growing threat to regional stability,” Stevenson warned. “As families pushed beyond their limits are left with nowhere to turn, the risk of further violence and displacement increases exponentially.”

Dire Consequences for Children and Vulnerable Populations

The consequences of halting assistance are particularly severe for children. With WFP’s stocks exhausted, more than 150 nutrition clinics are expected to close, cutting off access to treatment for over 300,000 children under the age of two. These children face a heightened risk of acute malnutrition, wasting, and death without sustained support.

This comes as the region faces an explosion of insecurity. Across the Lake Chad Basin, 2.3 million people have already been displaced by extremist violence, further compounding the pressure on limited food supplies and public services. Humanitarian workers fear that, in the absence of food assistance, many families may resort to negative coping mechanisms such as child labor, early marriage, or even recruitment into armed insurgent groups.

Migration, Exploitation, and Societal Breakdown

"When emergency assistance ends, many will migrate in search of food and shelter," Stevenson explained. “Others may be forced into exploitative situations, including joining insurgent groups, to survive.”

The WFP maintains that continued food aid is one of the most effective tools to stabilize communities, prevent migration and conflict, and support economic recovery. Humanitarian food assistance not only addresses immediate hunger but also helps rebuild local economies and supports long-term development goals.

Funding Shortfall: A Preventable Catastrophe

In the first half of 2025, the WFP reached 1.3 million people with vital food and nutrition aid. Plans were underway to extend this support to an additional 720,000 people in the second half of the year. However, a critical funding gap of US$130 million has halted these efforts, with WFP now warning of an imminent pipeline break in aid delivery.

The organization has the infrastructure, logistics capacity, and partnerships in place to scale up its response immediately, but without urgent donor support, these operations will grind to a halt.

A Call for Global Solidarity

The WFP’s call to action is not only a plea for humanitarian aid but a stark reminder of the wider geopolitical and social risks posed by rising hunger in conflict-affected areas.

“We are not just feeding families,” Stevenson emphasized. “We are preventing the collapse of communities, reducing the risk of violence, and creating conditions for recovery. But we cannot do this without the world’s support.”

The looming crisis in northeast Nigeria is a clear signal that hunger, conflict, and underfunded responses are converging into a perfect storm. Global action—through immediate funding and long-term investment—is the only way to avert catastrophe for millions on the brink.