Appolonia Adeyemi 
Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, and the United Nation Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, have launched the 2025 Lean Season Response Plan targeting Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) States.
The $159 million initiative aims to deliver critical nutrition, food, health, and other lifesaving aid to two million people facing severe need in these conflict-ravaged regions over the next six months.
The BAY States, grappling with a 15-year humanitarian crisis fueled by prolonged conflict, economic instability, and climatic shocks, face escalating challenges.
According to the March 2025 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, 4.6 million people are projected to experience acute food insecurity during the lean season starting in June, marking the sixth consecutive year of severe conditions.
Alarmingly, one million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2025—double the number from 2024—with over 600,000 facing imminent risk in the next six months.
Without urgent nutrition interventions, many may not survive.
Speaking at the plan’s launch in Abuja, Minister Yilwatda underscored the urgency of the response.
“This Plan is a promise that no child in Borno, Adamawa, or Yobe should sleep hungry when the world has enough food, that no mother should lose a child to a treatable condition, and that dignity must not be a casualty of conflict or poverty,” he said.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to leading the response in alignment with national policies.
The crisis is compounded by significant funding cuts in 2025, which have curtailed humanitarian operations, with 70% of health services and 50% of nutrition services in the BAY states affected.
These reductions threaten progress in malnutrition prevention and treatment, leaving vulnerable populations at greater risk.
UN Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall highlighted the dire situation, stating, “Humanitarianism is under threat; solidarity is in short supply, and the lack of resources is putting millions, especially children, at risk.”
He called for stronger government leadership, private sector involvement, and support from emerging donors to address the escalating needs.
The Lean Season Response Plan prioritizes immediate lifesaving interventions, including food assistance, emergency healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, protection, and agricultural livelihoods.
It also emphasizes sustained investments in locally led initiatives to build long-term resilience, particularly for children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
With early action critical to mitigating the lean season’s devastating impact, the plan serves as a clarion call for global solidarity to prevent further loss of life and dignity in Nigeria’s northeast.
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