2.1m children in Borno, Yobe to face acute malnutrition – UNICEF.
The agency said Yobe State alone accounts for more than 900,000 of the projected cases, including […] About 2.1 million children under the age of five in Borno and Yobe states are projected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2026, with more than 750,000 cases expected to be severe, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said.
Kelechi Nwogu, disclosed this on Tuesday in Damaturu during a media dialogue and reporting challenge organised for journalists in the North-East.
He said despite interventions by development partners and governments, the nutrition situation in the two states remained a serious concern requiring urgent and sustained action.
Nwogu attributed the situation to the combined effects of conflict, displacement, poverty and food insecurity, which have left many families struggling to provide adequate nutrition for their children. He said the figures represented children whose survival and development were at risk, urging journalists to sustain public attention on the crisis. UNICEF said its UK-funded Multisectoral Integrated Nutrition Action (MINA) project had helped save thousands of children and improve access to essential health and nutrition services in the two states. The Chief of UNICEF Borno Field Office, Mr Francis Butichi, said the project, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), had been implemented in 24 local government areas across Borno and Yobe since 2023.
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