Joyce Onwuka
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, have jointly launched the 2025 Lean Season Response Plan for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in north-east Nigeria.
The Plan seeks US$159 million for urgent nutrition, food, and health interventions and other life-saving assistance for 2 million people in most severe need in the BAY states over the next six months.
In the BAY states, 1 million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2025 – double the number in 2024. Of these children, over 600,000 are at risk of SAM over the next six months. Without access to lifesaving nutrition services, they may die.
An estimated 4.6 million people in the BAY states are also projected to face acute food insecurity during the *lean season starting in June – according to the Government-led Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis results released in March 2025. This marks the sixth consecutive year of severe conditions.
In his remarks at the launch of the Plan in Abuja, Minister Yilwatda emphasized the need for urgent action. “This Plan is not just about structures and strategies. It is about a promise that no child in Borno, Adamawa, or Yobe should have to sleep hungry when the world has enough food; that no mother should lose a child to a condition we know how to treat, and that dignity must never be a casualty of conflict or poverty,” he said.
He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to leading the response, aligning it to national policies.
The BAY states are grappling with a 15-year humanitarian crisis, which has been intensified by prolonged conflict, economic instability, and climatic shocks. Significant funding cuts for humanitarian operations in 2025 have multiplied the severity of needs and limited access to much-needed lifesaving support.
The health and nutrition sectors have been particularly impacted in the BAY states, with up to 70 per cent of health services and 50 per cent of nutrition services affected. This is threatening gains in malnutrition prevention and treatment.
“Humanitarianism is under threat; solidarity is in short supply, and the lack of resources is putting millions, especially children, at risk,” the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said. He reiterated the critical role of Government leadership and the need for the private sector and emerging donors to support humanitarians to address the alarming needs.
Early action is critical to mitigate the worst impacts of the lean season on children under the age of five and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. The lean season response plan focuses on the most immediate lifesaving needs, including food assistance, emergency healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, and agricultural livelihoods. It also calls for sustained investments in locally led responses for longer-term resilience.