The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday in Abuja inaugurated its 2024 lean season Food Security and Nutrition crisis multi-sector six-month plan for the North-East in Nigeria.
Mr Mohamed Fall, UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, while officially inaugurating the plan said the aim was to mobilize resources to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition crisis in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) respectively.
Fall cited the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé analysis results to warn that not less than 32 million people across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will face food crisis between June and August 2024.
According to him, the figure when compared to 26 million people in the previous year proved to be one of the highest total number of food insecured people globally.
Fall said, “In Nigeria, a combination of factors contributes to the rising food insecurity, key among such are conflict and insecurity in the northern and north-central states.
“Economic hardship and inflation also impacted negatively on people’s ability to procure staple foods, such as beans and maize, which have gone up between 300 and 400 per cent in the past 12 months.
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“The impact of climate change continues to be felt. As the 2024 rainy season starts coinciding with the lean season, we must double our efforts and race against time to save lives.
“We are launching the 2024 Food Security and Nutrition crisis multisector plan for BAY based on results of the Government-led Cadre Harmoniséanalysis.
“This indicates 4.8 million people in the three states will face acute food insecurity during the lean season. The plan seeks 306 million dollars to mitigate the worst impact of the lean season.”
He explained that the organisation’s targets 2.8 million out of 4.8 million food insecured people in severe need over the next six months to be mainly children, pregnant-women, lactating-mothers and vulnerable groups.
“Approximately, 700,000 children under five-years across the three states are projected to be acutely malnourished during the lean season, including 230,000 expected to be malnourished and at risk of death.”
The Minister of Budget and Planning, Atiku Bagudu represented by Mrs Clementina Okoro, Head of Food and Nutrition in the ministry decried drought to have adversely affected the 2023 harvest in Yobe and Borno.
He, thereby, commended partnership by the international community towards implementation of the plan, saying it will help to advance humanitarian assistance in the three states.
“I thank the diplomatic and humanitarian communities for their support toward government’s response to food security and nutrition crisis multi-sector through establishment of the plan for the BAY.
“It is noteworthy to mention that food insecurity and malnutrition remains the main concerns for in the conflict affected states,” Bagudu said.
He described the plan as multi-sectoral and integrated, adding it recognised food and nutrition alone are not enough to ensure survival of vulnerable people, particularly children that need clean water, health support, protection, and other services.
Highpoint of the event was virtual remarks by deputy governors of Bormo, Adamawa and Yobe and other partners, as well as official presentation of the lean season plan.
