In a move to combat a deepening humanitarian emergency in Nigeria’s north-east, the Federal Government and the United Nations yesterday launched a $159 million Lean Season Response Plan aimed at averting a full-blown food and nutrition crisis in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states.
With over 4.6 million people projected to face acute food insecurity during the upcoming lean season and a staggering 1 million children at risk of severe acute malnutrition in 2025, the initiative targets the most vulnerable — particularly children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women — with urgent interventions in food, healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation, and livelihoods.
Speaking at the official launch in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, made a passionate plea for solidarity.
“This Plan is not just about structures and strategies. It is about a promise — that no child in Borno, Adamawa, or Yobe should have to sleep hungry when the world has enough food,” he declared. “No mother should lose a child to a condition we know how to treat.”
The BAY states are enduring their sixth consecutive year of acute food insecurity, fueled by prolonged conflict, economic shocks, and climate change. The region’s already strained health and nutrition sectors have been devastated by funding cuts — with up to 70% of health services and 50% of nutrition services disrupted.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall warned that without immediate action and adequate funding, millions could be pushed past the brink.
“Humanitarianism is under threat; solidarity is in short supply, and the lack of resources is putting millions, especially children, at risk,” he said. Fall called for stronger government leadership and more support from private sector actors and emerging donors.
The response plan, spanning the next six months, is not only a lifeline for 2 million people in critical need but also a call to invest in long-term, locally-led solutions that build resilience and protect human dignity in one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises.
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