The Federal Government has raised concern over the World Food Programme (WFP) funding reduction, declaring that over 575, 000 Nigerians in 115,000 households risk starvation, malnutrition and increased food insecurity.

The federal government also announced that about 300,000 children would be at risk of wasting due to the closure of 150 WFP-supported nutrition clinics in Borno and Yobe States and further displacements and migration.

Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Tanko Sununu, told journalists on Thursday in Abuja that due to severe funding gaps, WFP has been forced to scale back its coverage, reaching only 900,000 people in August and 725,000 in September 2025, thereby leaving 575,000 individuals (approximately 115,000 households) without critical support.

He said the suspension may lead to the increased food insecurity, malnutrition, health risk with approximately 300,000 children at risk of wasting due to the closure of 150 WFP-supported nutrition clinics in Borno and Yobe states as well as further displacements and migration.

Sununu said there would be emergency funding to augment ongoing government efforts to bridge the gap created by the suspension of Activity 1 of the WFP’s country strategic plan.

He also said there would be special interventions as the government would implement sustainable solutions to address food insecurity, such as supporting local agriculture, promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and enhancing resilience to climate change.

He urged both the local and international partners to provide urgent support to complement the efforts of governments in Nigeria to prevent humanitarian catastrophe.

“We also call on the general public to support the providers of sustainable solutions to address the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition and for strengthened collaboration and partnerships to support the most vulnerable populations,” he added.