By TIAMIYU PRUDENCE AROBANI

No fewer than a million people in North-East Nigeria could lose emergency food and nutrition assistance unless funding could be found “within weeks”.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), Nigeria is facing one of the worst hunger crises in recent times.

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

“If WFP cannot continue supporting the displaced populations in camps, they will leave the sites in a desperate attempt to survive.

“They will try to migrate, or they may join insurgent groups to feed themselves and their families,” David Stevenson, WFP’s Nigeria Country Director, said.

WFP said nearly 35 million people were projected to face acute and severe food insecurity during the lean season.

They included roughly 15,000 people in Borno who risked falling into catastrophic hunger, a step away from famine.

“The crisis is unfolding amid renewed violence in the north which has devastated rural communities, displaced families and destroyed food reserves.

“Now is not the time to stop food assistance.

“This will lead to catastrophic humanitarian, security and economic consequences for the most vulnerable people who have been forced to flee their homes in search of food and shelter.

“Humanitarian solutions are still possible and are one of the last stabilising forces preventing mass displacement and regional spillover.

“The crisis is unfolding amid renewed violence in the north which has devastated rural communities, displaced families and destroyed food reserves,” Stevenson said.

The WFP said these were the worst levels of hunger recorded in a decade.

WFP said it was urgently seeking 129 million dollars to sustain its operations in the northeast over the next six months.

The global food agency warned that the work could shut down unless funds were received. (NAN)