UNICEF: Malnutrition Could Claim the Lives of 400,000 Nigerian Children

UNICEF: Malnutrition Could Claim the Lives of 400,000 Nigerian Children

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday revealed that 3.5 million children in Nigeria are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

It further warned that 400,000 of these children are at risk of dying from preventable causes within just one month and eight days if urgent action is not taken.

UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Field Operations and Emergencies, Judith Leveille, made this known during a joint press briefing in Abuja. The event focused on the European Union’s support for victims of the Yelewata crisis in Benue State, as well as the ongoing nutrition emergency in the North-East and North-West regions.

Leveille also noted that Nigeria is now facing a shortage of critical nutrition supplies.

So, we need to call on all forces to prevent a stockout of essential nutrition commodities used to treat severe acute malnutrition. As we speak, we can expect a stockout by September 1.

“So, we have one month and eight days to avoid the preventable deaths of over 400,000 children. That’s a lot of children.

“I’m sure that among them, there could be a Nobel Prize winner, a brilliant scientist who invents a life-saving solution, a great Nigerian musician, or a great actor.

Nigeria has the potential to produce such individuals. A lot can be done to prevent this situation. By essential commodities, I’m talking about ready-to-use therapeutic food.”

The UNICEF chief added, “Today, we are gathered because we have a common understanding. More can be done to ensure that all severely acute malnourished children, and we are talking about a burden of 3.5 million children in Nigeria, are treated.

“The situation is dire. Over the weekend, we met over 100 children who needed urgent treatment. We met little Memunah, little Aisha, their mothers, and of course, my colleagues—Médecins Sans Frontières, Action Against Hunger- were there at the stabilisation centres.

“We met with committed nurses and doctors who work around the clock with Nigerian medical teams to save children’s lives. That is truly commendable.”

She, however, said more needed to be done, adding that the nutritional stabilisation centres were already overstretched.

“We still haven’t reached the peak of the lean season, we will reach that in about three weeks, and the peak season will last for over a month. What we saw in some communities in Sokoto is not unique.

“It can also be seen in many other states, particularly in the northern parts of Nigeria,” she said.

Leveille stressed the need not only for funding, but also for skilled personnel and essential medicines.

The Nigeria INGO Forum Director, Camilla Higgins, reiterated that an estimated 3.5 million children were suffering from severe acute malnutrition in the country.

She said: “That’s the equivalent of the national stadium here in Abuja times 60. You would have to fill it 60 times to capture that number of children, and they are all at risk of increased death.

“This demands urgent and coordinated action by the government, and we are very ready to support such an effort in coordination with international actors like UNICEF and our member organisations.

“In addition to what we’ve heard about the level of needs this year, we want to highlight that a major contributory factor to this worsening situation is the reduction of resources across the board, particularly from major international donors.

We all know what happened earlier this year with the United States’ funding cuts and other major donors reducing their capacity as well.

“I have to highlight that international response capacity is collapsing in the Northeast and Northwest. The response system is stretched beyond its limits.

We’ve seen severe acute malnutrition admissions surge up to 40 per cent in the Northeast and 73 per cent in some cities. Malnutrition is now visibly affecting adults, not just children. So, we have even more needs this year and more limited resources, just as we are approaching the peak of the lean season,” Higgins said.

She called on the government to take full leadership in coordinating the response, stating that INGOs were ready to collaborate.

The Head of Mission at MSF, Bilal Ahmad, said the organisation was concerned about the alarming situation of malnutrition, especially in Sokoto State.

“If we look at our site and our observations, what we were supposed to expect at the end of the rainy season, we’re just witnessing now at the start of the rainy season.

“For example, MSF is supporting 32 ambulatory therapeutic feeding centre sites and 11 inpatient sites where children come with complications in addition to malnutrition. Our bed capacity is 1,600, which is now not enough.

“In Katsina, we normally have 450 beds, but now we are increasing to 900 beds because we were putting two patients on one bed, and every day the number is increasing.

“From another state, where we planned for 60 beds during the lean season, we had to increase to 90 beds for the rainy season.

“With the rainy season just beginning, we’re already at 120 beds, and the team is requesting more. We can’t turn patients away. Severely malnourished children are arriving in critical condition from distant locations—it’s heartbreaking. I’m truly worried about the rising mortality rate,” he said.

He explained that mortality rates vary depending on the project and location, ranging from 3.7% to 7.7%. “These are children from families who may have waited years to have them, and now they’re dying from malnutrition. It’s deeply alarming,” he added.

Many of the children, he noted, arrive after travelling long distances—often too late for effective treatment. With the number of cases increasing, he warned that the crisis could worsen without swift intervention.

He stressed the urgent need for more treatment centres to reduce travel distances and called for an immediate scale-up in the supply of therapeutic food.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda prioritises strengthened collaboration—both locally and internationally—particularly in the humanitarian sector.

Dr. Sununu emphasized that the ministry is committed to improving transparency, accountability, and trust to encourage continued support from international partners. He affirmed the government’s dedication to ensuring that all collaborative efforts are transparent, trackable, and impactful, expressing optimism about positive outcomes for humanitarian governance in Nigeria.