Connect with us

News

Over 12 million face hunger in Nigeria – FAO

Published

on

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAOsaid on Friday over 12 million Nigerians are expected to experience food scarcity over insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FAO Communication Officer, Mr. David Tsokar, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

He said the United Nations agency’s food security and nutrition analysis conducted in 20 states in October showed that insecurity and COVID-19 had forced 12 million Nigerians into hunger.

According to him, 19 percent of affected households are in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States because of the ongoing insecurity in the North-East and the lingering economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ ALSO:FAO projects food import bill to reach record-high $1.75tr in 2021

Tsokar said: “The analysis, known as the Cadre Harmonise conducted in 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) revealed that approximately 12.1 million people are expected to face food scarcity through December.

“The provisional result of the report showed that the number of people in critical or worse phases of food insecurity might increase to about 16.9 million.

“The states analysed in the current Cadre Harmonise include Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Edo, and Enugu.

“Others were Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and FCT.

“The estimates showed that Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States were the most affected by the prolonged armed conflicts. In these states, 2.4 million people are currently facing hunger and needed urgent assistance.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now