… Crisis Deepens Across Conflict-Hit, Food-Insecure States
…Nigeria Records Highest Child Admissions In Recent Years
Daud Olatunji
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has raised alarm over deepening malnutrition crisis in Nigeria, revealing that more than 440,000 children were treated for varying degrees of the condition in 2025 alone.
The organisation disclosed this in its 2025 Country Activity Report released in Abuja, attributing the worsening situation to rising food insecurity, ongoing conflict, inflation, flooding, mass displacement and weak healthcare systems across affected regions.
MSF said its operations covered 10 states during the period under review, including Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Bauchi, Cross River and Ebonyi, while it also expanded its presence to Kaduna State.
According to the report, 353,989 children were treated for severe acute malnutrition through outpatient feeding programmes, while 90,723 others with life-threatening complications were admitted into inpatient stabilisation centres supported by the organisation.
MSF Country Representative in Nigeria, Ahmed Aldikhari, described the figures as evidence of a deepening humanitarian emergency, noting that 2025 recorded the highest number of malnutrition admissions in recent years.
“The 2025 data tells a harrowing story. With over 440,000 children put on treatment, it is the year with the highest admissions for malnutrition we’ve had in Nigeria in recent years,” Aldikhari said.
He warned that malnutrition continues to fuel susceptibility to infectious diseases such as measles, malaria, diphtheria and cholera, particularly in communities with limited access to healthcare.
The report also revealed that MSF treated 341,239 cases of malaria, 38,753 measles infections, 6,123 diphtheria cases and 985 meningitis patients across several states in 2025.
It noted that disease outbreaks tend to escalate during the rainy season, further overwhelming already overstretched health facilities in vulnerable and conflict-affected communities.
MSF called for urgent strengthening of vaccination coverage, improved water and sanitation systems, enhanced disease surveillance and faster access to treatment in order to curb preventable deaths.
On maternal health, the organisation said Nigeria continues to record one of the highest maternal and newborn mortality rates globally, with many women unable to access timely care due to insecurity, poor transport networks, overstretched hospitals and weak referral systems.
It added that it supported 33,590 deliveries, conducted 119,469 antenatal consultations and performed 224 fistula surgeries in 2025.
MSF further warned that many women continue to suffer preventable complications such as severe bleeding, obstructed labour, infections and hypertensive disorders due to delays in accessing emergency care.
Aldikhari called for increased investment in primary healthcare, staffing, medical infrastructure and emergency obstetric services, especially in rural and conflict-affected areas across the country.
He stressed that without urgent intervention, Nigeria risks further deterioration in child survival and maternal health indicators amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
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