The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that unless urgent action is taken, 420,000 Nigerian children could di£ out of the 3.5 million currently battling severe acute malnutrition in the country.

 

Nigeria Country Representative of UNICEF, Wafaa Elfadil Saeed Abdelatef, gave the warning during her visit to the Maiduguri Field Office on Thursday, August 28.

 

“Nigeria has 15 million malnourished children under five, and 3.5 million at risk of severe acute malnutrition. Of the 3.5 million at risk of severe acute malnutrition, 420,000 children could di£ in 2025 alone if nothing changes.

 

“Forty percent of under-fives are stunted—children who will never reach their full physical or cognitive potential if we do not act now,” she said.

 

Abdelatef said unless resources are mobilised quickly, Nigeria risks losing hundreds of thousands of children to hunger, preventable diseases, and lack of care.

 

She explained that UNICEF urgently requires more funding, locally produced food solutions, and expanded treatment centres to ensure that no child dies from malnutrition-related complications in the country.

 

 

 

She further noted that the Northeast remains gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with over 4.5 million people in dire need of assistance.