When the children of the wealthy are wasting food, scrolling through tablets over breakfast, and living the best of life, thousands of Nigerian children, especially in the northern region are quietly withering before our eyes, hungry, stunted, and forgotten.
Currently, Nigeria is producing a generation of malnourished children who are ill-equipped for the future because they lack the essential nutrients needed for proper brain development.
Dishearteningly, alongside this troubling trend, half of all pregnant women in Nigeria ( 50 per cent ) suffer from malnutrition, often accompanied by anemia and related health complications.
As a critical public health issue, the country continues to grapple with alarmingly high rates of severe malnutrition among both children and expectant mothers, posing serious risks to their well-being and the nation’s future.
Our correspondent, who have embarked on several health campaign trips, paint this stark scenario:
Three-year-old Aisha sits under the shade of a Dogoyaro tree in a remote rural village in the Northeast ( IDP camp) . She is barefoot, quiet, and painfully small for her age. Her legs are thin and frail, her belly slightly bloated from hunger, and her eyes carry a tiredness no child should ever know. She barely weighs what a healthy one-year-old should. Aisha Abdullahi doesn’t cry anymore. She doesn’t have the strength to.Her mother, Maryam Abdullahi, gently rocks her in her lap, mixing a watery paste of millet and crushed leaves in a small plastic bowl . The only food they’ve had in two days. She told LEADERSHIP Weekend, that “sometimes she eats, sometimes she just cries. There is actually no adequate or balanced food. There is no money. There is no help.”
Hundreds of miles away in Guzape in Abuja, five-year-old Garcia skips into her brightly lit Montessori classroom, hair tied in colourful bows, her lunchbox stuffed with spaghetti, fruit juice, cheese snacks, and apple slices. When she refuses to eat her grapes, her nanny simply throws them away. For Lily, hunger is an idea she will never fully understand. While for Aisha, the feeling of being full is a memory she has never made.
This is a silent emergency. This is because it is widely reported that more than 40 percent of children under the age of five in impoverished communities are stunted, their growth and brain development permanently damaged by chronic malnutrition. That translates to millions of children robbed of their potential, physically smaller, mentally slower, and more vulnerable to disease and death.
According to experts, the term “malnutrition” doesn’t necessarily mean that children aren’t eating
It means they’re not eating the right kinds of food needed for proper growth and development.
LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that the 2023–2024 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) reveals that four out of every ten Nigerian children under the age of five (40 percent) suffer from stunting, an increase from 37 percent recorded in 2018
Additionally, 8 percent of children now suffer from wasting, roughly one in every ten, compared to 7 percent in 2018. According to the same survey, 22 percent of children under five were underweight in 2018, a figure that has risen to 25 percent in the 2023/2024 data.
The statistics are alarming. Across the country, children, pregnant women, and even young adults are affected by the growing crisis of malnutrition, no region is spared.
According to a report from the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan coordinated by OCHA, an estimated 2.55 million children under the age of five are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition this year. Of these, one million are expected to be severely malnourished. In addition, approximately 309,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls (PBWG) are also projected to be affected by acute malnutrition.
Stakeholders have expressed concern that limited access to food and its rising cost are key factors worsening the malnutrition crisis in Nigeria.
According to the 2025 data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the food inflation rate in May stood at 21.4 percent year-on-year—down by 19.52 percentage points from the 40.66 percent recorded in May 2024.
While the decline in annual food inflation is notable, issues of affordability and accessibility remain major obstacles for many households.
In an effort to address the growing malnutrition crisis, the federal government launched the Nutrition-774 Initiative, aimed at revitalising and incentivising local action to improve food security, health, and nutrition across Nigeria. Additionally, the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security was established to support coordinated policy and legislative efforts.
More recently, the National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security was convened by the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security. The summit brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including experts from key sectors, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), the armed forces, security agencies, traditional rulers, members of the House of Representatives, members of State Houses of Assembly, and development partners.
Declaring the summit open, Vice President Kashim Shettima , called for a multi-sectoral and multi-level approach to combating malnutrition and strengthening food and national security across the country.
Speaking on behalf of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), stated that the newly launched N-774 Initiative is specifically designed to create direct impact in the most underserved and forgotten parts of the country.
“We have witnessed the establishment of the National Legislative Network on Nutrition and Food Security, along with the replication of this committee across all 36 State Houses of Assembly. This marks an unprecedented milestone in our legislative engagement. However, we must acknowledge that the reason we are gathered here today is not for celebration,” he said.
In his welcome address, chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor,
stated that the House is engaging in strategic capacity-building sessions to better understand the root causes and dynamics of the current nutrition and food security challenges facing Nigeria.
He explained, “This will position us to provide more effective oversight of all nutrition and food-related interventions and implementing partners, including, but not limited to, the UN system, the World Bank, international and national NGOs, and, of course, the government at the federal, state, and local levels. By doing so, we aim not only to secure more funding for nutrition, but to ensure we get more nutrition value from the funds available.”
Okafor further emphasised that the government’s first responsibility is to ensure security, especially in regions critical to food production. “We must secure areas like the North-East, North-West, North-Central, and even the South-East, which are all essential to Nigeria’s food supply,” he added.
Representing the Gates Foundation, Ekenem Isichie called on the National Assembly to actively use its legislative oversight role to ensure that Primary Health Care Centres nationwide deliver accurate information and quality health services to mothers and children.
He emphasised that Nigeria must lead the continent in reducing infant and maternal mortality, ending malnutrition, and significantly improving food security.
In his remarks, Country director for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Dr. Michael Ojo, highlighted climate change, widespread insecurity, and Nigeria’s population growth outpacing food production as major drivers of malnutrition.
He explained, “We produce a lot of food, but our population is growing faster than our food production. This puts enormous pressure on the available food supply. Unfortunately, in recent years, production capacity has declined due to insecurity and factors like climate change.”
Dr. Ojo emphasised that producing food is one challenge, but producing nutritious food is another. “When we discuss malnutrition, we must consider both food and nutrition insecurity. We are essentially facing a dual challenge. That is why the initiative by the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security is so important. This issue is not solely the federal government’s responsibility; it requires coordinated efforts across all three tiers of government.”
According to Dr. Ojo, while the federal government can set policies, the real impact happens at the state and local government levels.
“There are multiple problems requiring multiple solutions, but collaboration is essential to make these solutions effective. Some say farmers are not applying proper farming methods, but much of our agriculture still depends on rain, with the majority of farms lacking irrigation. These are part of the challenges, but also opportunities. For example, empowering women, who form a significant portion of the farming population, by providing them access to land for small-scale production could make a difference,” he added.
Meanwhile, Country director of Nutrition International, Dr. Osita Okonkwo, stressed that malnutrition remains a critical public health issue in Nigeria.
He noted that Nigeria, like many countries, faces severe malnutrition challenges that not only affect the health and well-being of its people but also impede economic growth, social development, moral progress, and overall national advancement.
According to Dr. Okonkwo, investing in nutrition is an investment in the nation’s well-being and development, as malnutrition remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria. He urged all stakeholders to unite in building a healthier, more prosperous Nigeria, one where every citizen can thrive, reach their full potential, and live free from the burden of malnutrition.
“We must strengthen collaboration and allocate adequate budgets across sectors such as agriculture, health, education, and social protection to create a comprehensive approach to nutrition,” he added.
The senior special assistant to the President on Public Health and Focal Person for Nutrition at the Office of the Vice President, Mrs. Uju Rochas Awuka, emphasised the urgent need to improve health coordination, keep nutrition high on the political agenda, and enable timely interventions. She expressed optimism that every challenge presents a solution.
Mrs. Awuka highlighted the recently launched Nutrition 774 Initiative by the National Council on Nutrition (NCN) as a flagship program designed to unite key actors, strengthen multi-sectoral coordination, improve financing and accountability, and effectively tackle malnutrition in the country.
When asked how to reverse the malnutrition trend, Hon. Chike Okafor, chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, stated:
“It’s very simple. Do everything possible to ensure food is available and affordable. These two , availability and affordability, are crucial.”
“How can we talk about nutrition when food is not accessible? Nutrition and food security are two sides of the same coin. We cannot address one without the other,” he concluded.
LEADERSHIP Weekend repeats that, the question lingers: Why does malnutrition persist at an alarming 40 percent? Who is responsible for unspent budgets, poorly equipped clinics, and mothers left uninformed?
More urgently, how many more children like Aisha will Nigeria lose before it takes real, decisive action, not just promises, but meaningful change?
In a nation brimming with potential, no child should be condemned to grow up too hungry to thrive. The time to act is now.
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