By Faridat Salifu
As Nigeria’s northeast braces for another devastating lean season, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have launched a $159.3 million response plan aimed at assisting 2 million people at risk of severe food insecurity and acute malnutrition.
At the launch event held in Abuja on Tuesday, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall warned that conditions in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states—already battered by protracted conflict and climate shocks—are rapidly deteriorating.
“This year, 4.6 million people in the BAY states are projected to face critical levels of food insecurity,” Fall said. “An estimated 630,000 children under five are at risk of acute malnutrition, and 280,000 may die without timely intervention.”
The 2025 lean season, spanning from June to September, coincides with the rainy season—typically a period marked by increased displacement, limited access to communities, and outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Funding cuts have worsened the crisis, disrupting up to 70 percent of health services and half of nutrition programs in the region.
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Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, emphasized that the response plan is a crucial lifeline for millions. “This is a call to act decisively. We must not wait for famine conditions to set in before we respond,” he said in his keynote address.
The multisector plan targets immediate interventions in food security, nutrition, health, water, sanitation, and protection. Of the 2 million people identified for assistance, 1.8 million are prioritized for urgent support.
Goodwill messages from state leaders and humanitarian organizations reinforced the need for coordinated action. Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and Dr. Goje Mohammed, representing Yobe Governor Mai Mala Buni, pledged state-level commitment to the response effort.
Field partners, including UNICEF, MSF, FAO, and local NGOs, presented updates from the ground. “What we are witnessing is preventable if we act fast,” said Judith Leveillee, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Services. “The time to close the funding gap is now.”
The launch event also featured a video from affected communities, a media briefing, and a joint appearance by key humanitarian leaders including WFP Executive Director David Stevenson and FAO Country Representative Dominique Koffy Kouacou.
With rising humanitarian needs and dwindling resources, the 2025 Lean Season Response Plan seeks not only to save lives but to safeguard hard-won development gains in a region teetering on the edge.
