The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised alarm over Nigeria’s worsening malnutrition crisis, revealing that 3.5 million children currently suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
Judith Leveille, UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Field Operations and Emergencies, issued the warning during a joint press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, highlighting the urgent need for intervention to prevent catastrophic consequences.
Leveille stated that without immediate action, approximately 400,000 children could die from preventable causes within the next 38 days.
She described visiting stabilisation centres where medical teams from Médecins Sans Frontières and Action Against Hunger work tirelessly to save malnourished children like Memunah and Aisha. However, she warned that facilities are already overstretched, with the peak of the lean season – when food scarcity worsens – still three weeks away.
The crisis is particularly acute in northern states like Sokoto, where malnutrition rates have reached emergency levels. Leveille emphasised the critical shortage of ready-to-use therapeutic food, predicting stockouts by September 1 unless urgent measures are taken.
“We have one month and eight days to avoid the preventable deaths of over 400,000 children,” she stressed, noting these children represent Nigeria’s future potential.
Camilla Higgins of the Nigeria INGO Forum confirmed the staggering 3.5 million figure – equivalent to filling Abuja’s national stadium 60 times – and highlighted worsening conditions due to reduced international funding. Malnutrition admissions have surged 40% in the Northeast and 73% in some areas, now affecting adults as well as children.
Both officials called for immediate government leadership in coordinating response efforts, warning that collapsing international support systems and dwindling resources have created a perfect storm as the country enters its most vulnerable period.
They emphasised that with proper intervention, these deaths are entirely preventable, urging all stakeholders to mobilise before time runs out for Nigeria’s most vulnerable children.
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cc: Punch Ng
