Daud Olatunji
A report by the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) has projected that approximately 33.1 million Nigerians across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will face severe food and nutrition crises between June and August 2025.
The states identified as facing significant food security challenges include Ogun, Lagos, Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, Benue, Cross River, Enugu, Edo, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, and Rivers, along with the FCT.
This prediction, revealed in the October CH analysis, highlights the growing threat to food security across large parts of the country.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the report, presented on Friday in Abuja, was developed through a comprehensive analysis by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and several other partners.
PLATFORM TIMES also gathered that the report reveals the precarious situation for millions who are at risk of hunger if urgent interventions are not implemented.
The report noted that approximately 514,474 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara are already facing food shortages and heightened vulnerability.
Currently, the CH report indicates that 25 million Nigerians are already in crisis, grappling with restricted access to food.
Kouacou Koffy, FAO’s Country Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, stressed the need for immediate action, calling for a coordinated response from both national and international stakeholders.
He highlighted the severe economic, environmental, and security-related challenges facing the nation and their collective impact on food availability and accessibility.
“With the concerted efforts of the government, CH stakeholders, and the international community, we can move closer to alleviating hunger and reducing suffering for Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations,” Koffy said.
“We are facing unprecedented challenges affecting livelihoods and food and nutrition security globally, regionally, and nationally,” he added, underscoring that food prices, climate events, and insecurity are fueling this crisis.
In response, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has pledged to leverage the findings of the report in developing targeted food security and nutrition programs across the states.
Temitope Fashedemi, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the crisis, emphasizing that strategic measures would be adopted to mitigate the impending shortages.
According to Balama Dauda, the CH focal person for the National Programme on Food Security, a combination of factors—including skyrocketing prices of essential foodstuffs and non-food items, recurring floods, and ongoing insecurity—are aggravating food insecurity across the nation.
Dauda pointed to high inflation as a particularly troubling factor, making staple foods increasingly unaffordable for millions of households.
The CH analysis workshops, Koffy explained, are crucial for evaluating food security data and identifying regions and populations most at risk.
These workshops aim to guide stakeholders in devising effective interventions to prevent or minimize the impact of the predicted food crises.
Koffy emphasized the value of CH analysis as a reliable early-warning mechanism for humanitarian planning, food security responses, and prioritizing developmental programs.
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