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The United Nations (UN) has stated that $910 million is required to address the humanitarian crisis in North-East Nigeria, which has been suffering from insurgency since 2009.
According to the UN, 7.8 million individuals in the North-Eastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe are in need of assistance.
The organization aims to support 3.8 million residents. These states experienced severe flooding last year, prompting the governments to seek help.
During the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) in Abuja on Wednesday, Mohamed Malick Fall, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, noted that the needs are “driven by conflict, climate shocks, and economic instability.” Fall, alongside the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, mentioned that the situation is worsened by flooding, disease outbreaks, food insecurity, malnutrition, and increasing vulnerabilities.
Yilwatda emphasized the rising humanitarian needs in North-West and North-Central Nigeria, calling for collaborative humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts in the region. He stated that the restructured Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction is dedicated to timely and effective life-saving humanitarian responses and poverty alleviation.
“This will allow us to translate humanitarian efforts into sustainable solutions that can lift people out of poverty and provide livelihoods for sustainable development. We will continue to coordinate interventions at all levels, ensuring they align with national humanitarian and poverty-reduction priorities,” the minister added.
Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe states expressed their commitment to working with the UN and partners to tackle urgent humanitarian needs and promote sustainable development.
The UN has previously warned that Nigeria’s North-East risks becoming a neglected crisis as humanitarian attention shifts to other crises, such as those in Ukraine and Gaza. Amid this crisis, Nigeria is also facing a high cost of living, with inflation reaching its highest level in nearly thirty years, causing food and service prices to soar.
The UN has indicated that 33 million Nigerians are expected to experience acute food insecurity during the lean season of 2025, with alarming malnutrition levels threatening millions of children. It further noted that 5.1 million people will be impacted in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe.
