Nearly 35 million people across Nigeria — roughly one in seven of the country's population — are projected to face acute food insecurity during the June–August 2025 lean season, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on 23 May. Conflict, violence, and a severe funding shortfall are pushing Nigerian families to the edge of a humanitarian emergency that ranks among the world's largest active hunger crises.

Scale of the Crisis

OCHA's UN Humanitarian Country Team in Nigeria described the situation as one of the worst lean seasons on record, with the burden falling 'overwhelmingly on northern Nigeria.' The agency warned that if assistance is further delayed, millions of families will be forced to reduce meals, sell household assets, and pull children out of school.

Acute malnutrition is also expected to peak during the same period. Across northwest and northeast Nigeria, an estimated 6.4 million children are likely to be acutely malnourished in 2025 — a figure that humanitarian officials described as deeply alarming.

Funding Gap Threatens Response

The $516 million Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan — already described by OCHA as 'hyper-prioritised' — is only 40 per cent funded, with just $215 million received to date. The UN and its humanitarian partners are urgently appealing for additional resources to scale up life-saving operations.

'Resources from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund have jump-started the response, but more is needed to meet immediate life-saving humanitarian needs,' OCHA said in its statement. Economic pressures and unprecedented funding constraints are compounding the impact of ongoing conflict and insecurity across the country's north.

Guterres Calls for Urgent Global Action on Africa

The Nigeria warning comes as UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the international community to act swiftly on conflicts and climate shocks affecting African nations. Speaking to journalists in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Guterres called for the immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.

Guterres warned that terrorism, climate stress, hunger, and poverty are 'devastating the Sahel region,' stressing that lasting peace requires dialogue, international cooperation, and stronger local institutions. He also flagged that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz poses a direct threat to African stability, noting that 13 per cent of the continent's imports — primarily oil and fertilisers — pass through the waterway.

'That is why de-escalation is urgent. Navigational rights and freedoms must be restored. The Strait of Hormuz must reopen fully and safely,' Guterres said, urging all parties to refrain from actions that could widen the conflict.

Systemic Inequities in Focus

Guterres also criticised the continued exclusion of Africa from a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, stating that the UN will push for a fairer international system that gives Africa stronger representation and more equitable access to resources. He noted that four in five African countries are net oil importers, making prolonged global supply chain disruptions especially damaging to their economic stability.

With the lean season weeks away and funding critically short, humanitarian agencies say the window to prevent the worst outcomes is narrowing rapidly.