By Michael AMAJAMA
The United States Government is providing food and nutrition assistance to over 764, 205 displaced Nigerians in the North East and West of the country.
A notice by the U.S Embassy in Nigeria on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 said the support worth over $32.5 million will be handled by the World Food Program Nigeria.
The food assistance and nutrition support is targeted at internally displaced persons across conflict-affected areas in Nigeria.
The notice indicates that the complementary nutrition top-ups for 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls and 43,235 children through electronic food vouchers.
The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, reported in June 2024 that around 11 million Nigerian children were experiencing severe child food poverty.
The report says this translates to one in every three Nigerian children under five years old. Nigeria has about 31 million children under five.
Globally, 181 million children under the age of five are considered to be facing severe child food poverty. Nigeria ranks among the 20 countries that account for 65% – almost two-thirds – of these children.
According to the UNICEF report, four out of five children experiencing child food poverty globally are fed only milk or a starchy staple, such as rice, maize or wheat.
Less than 10% of these children are fed fruits and vegetables. And even fewer, less than 5%, are fed nutrient-dense foods such as eggs, fish, poultry or meat.
