UNICEF Sounds the Alarm: ₦240 Billion Lifeline Needed as 1.3 Million Malnourished Nigerian Children Face Cut‑off.
By Raymond Enoch
Amid growing concerns over Nigeria’s worsening humanitarian landscape, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a lifesaving appeal for ₦240 billion to continue delivering emergency aid to millions of vulnerable children and families across the country.
The appeal, which comes at a time of severe funding shortfalls, is part of UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children plan aimed at supporting children caught in the crossfire of conflict, displacement, and deepening poverty in Nigeria.
According to UNICEF, more than 25 million people—including over 14 million children—require humanitarian assistance in 2025 alone. The appeal is designed to ensure continued access to critical services including health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, and protection across hard-hit states like Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina.
Cristian Munduate, UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria and Head of the Maiduguri Field Office, warned that children across the country are facing an escalating crisis with limited access to clean water, nutrition, and healthcare. “Without immediate action, the consequences for children will be catastrophic,” she said.
A key focus of the funding will be combating severe acute malnutrition, which remains a top threat to child survival. UNICEF estimates that over three million children under the age of five in Nigeria suffer from acute malnutrition. Of these, approximately 600,000 are at risk of dying if they do not receive timely treatment.
Earlier this year, UNICEF raised alarm that more than 1.3 million children in Nigeria and Ethiopia could lose access to life-saving nutrition treatment due to dwindling global support and escalating needs. These numbers are expected to climb amid ongoing conflict, economic instability, and climate shocks.
In addition to the nutrition crisis, the appeal aims to restore and expand clean water access, mobile health units, vaccination drives, and educational services in displacement camps and underserved rural communities. It also includes provisions for psychosocial support for children traumatized by insurgency and gender-based violence.
The situation is compounded by recent projections from the World Food Programme, which estimates that over 33 million Nigerians are at risk of acute food insecurity during the lean season, stretching from July through September. The WFP has called for $620 million in funding to stabilize food aid operations in Nigeria and across the wider Sahel region.
UNICEF noted that only a fraction of its 2024 humanitarian appeal for Nigeria has been met so far, and the clock is ticking. Without urgent financial commitments from donors and international partners, critical supplies such as Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), vaccines, and hygiene kits may run out.
“This is not just a funding gap—it’s a lifeline that hangs in the balance,” Munduate emphasized. “Children are not only dying from malnutrition, they are dying in silence. We cannot afford to look away.”
As the agency intensifies efforts to mobilize global support, it is calling on private sector partners, philanthropic institutions, and governments to rally behind the cause and protect the futures of Nigeria’s most vulnerable.
UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children plan for Nigeria remains one of the largest country-specific appeals in the West African region. The ₦240 billion target reflects both the scale of need and the agency’s commitment to leaving no child behind—even in the most challenging circumstances.
