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Hunger Emergency! UNICEF Raises Red Flag Over Millions of Malnourished Nigerian Children
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised the alarm that 3.5 million Nigerian children are currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition, warning that 400,000 of them could die within just over a month without urgent intervention.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
This was disclosed on Tuesday in Abuja by Judith Leveille, UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Field Operations and Emergencies, during a joint press briefing on the EU’s support for victims of the Yelwata crisis in Benue State and the escalating nutrition emergency across Nigeria’s North-East and North-West regions.
Leveille described the situation as dire, stressing the need for immediate and coordinated action.
“We are facing a national emergency. Over 3.5 million children are severely acutely malnourished. Over the weekend, I met more than 100 of these children, including little Memunah and Aisha, at overstretched stabilisation centres in Sokoto. Dedicated Nigerian medical personnel, alongside Médecins Sans Frontières and Action Against Hunger, are doing incredible work—but it’s not enough,” she said.
Leveille warned that the nutrition centres are already overwhelmed, and the country has not yet entered the peak of the lean season, which is expected to begin in about three weeks and last over a month.
“What we saw in Sokoto is happening in many other northern states. The risk of a stockout of life-saving therapeutic food and medicines by September 1 is real. That gives us just one month and eight days to avert the preventable deaths of over 400,000 children,” she warned.
She underscored the importance of not just funding, but also skilled health workers and a steady supply of essential medical commodities, especially ready-to-use therapeutic food.
Joining the call for action, Camilla Higgins, Director of the Nigeria INGO Forum, painted a sobering picture of the crisis:
“3.5 million children—imagine filling the Abuja National Stadium 60 times over. That’s the number of lives at stake. And yet, just when the need is greatest, international funding is shrinking. The cuts from major donors, including the U.S., have significantly reduced our ability to respond.”
Higgins also revealed that malnutrition admissions have skyrocketed—by 40% in the North-East and up to 73% in some locations—warning that even adults are now showing visible signs of hunger.
“The humanitarian response is at breaking point. With lean season approaching and resources drying up, we are facing a perfect storm,” she said.
Both UNICEF and the Nigeria INGO Forum urged the Nigerian government, donors, and humanitarian actors to act swiftly and decisively to prevent what they described as a looming catastrophe.
The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) began nationwide on Thursday, with over 2.2 million candidates expected to participate across accredited centres.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The exam, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will run from April 16 to April 22 in multiple daily sessions.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to remain highly committed and professional, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their dedication.
He gave the charge during a virtual final briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination, where he also praised staff, ad hoc personnel, service providers, and technical advisers for their roles in the successful conduct of the mock exam.
Oloyede said many of the issues recorded during the mock exercise were due to poor assessment of centres by some technical officials.
He further stated that incentive packages would be awarded to teams that perform exceptionally, particularly in handling exam materials and submitting timely reports.
Reiterating JAMB’s zero-tolerance stance on malpractice, he warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls.
He also disclosed that biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed to protect the integrity of the exercise.
Candidates whose biometrics cannot be verified, he added, will be rescheduled to write the exam at approved centres.
Meanwhile, a NAN correspondent monitoring proceedings at Aduvie International School, Jahi, reported that the first session scheduled for 8:30 a.m. began slightly behind schedule at about 8:40 a.m.
The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, on Thursday inspected security deployments at Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Abuja.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to the FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the inspection is part of proactive measures to ensure a smooth, peaceful, and hitch-free conduct of the ongoing examinations.
The UTME is scheduled to run nationwide from April 16 to 18, 2026.
During the exercise, CP Sanusi assessed security arrangements put in place to safeguard candidates, examination officials, and CBT facilities.
He also engaged with centre supervisors, assuring them of adequate security presence throughout the examination period.
Adeh added that the CP reaffirmed the command’s commitment to maintaining law and order, warning that any attempt to disrupt the examinations would be met with decisive action in line with the law.
Over 700 former terrorists who have undergone deradicalisation and rehabilitation are set to be reintegrated into their communities.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The Nigerian military has also dismissed reports alleging that beneficiaries of Operation Safe Corridor are being recruited into military institutions.
According to African Independent Television, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General Yusuf Ali, made this known during a media tour of the Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre in Gombe, North-East Nigeria.
He said many Nigerians still misunderstand the Federal Government’s structured counter-terrorism initiative, which is designed to restore peace in communities affected by insurgency.
Brigadier-General Ali explained that the programme focuses on rehabilitation and peaceful reintegration of repentant individuals into society.
During the tour, some of the participants also shared accounts of their involvement in offences that led to their admission into the programme.
The facility inspection was part of preparations for the graduation of over 700 clients who have completed the deradicalisation and rehabilitation process and are set for reintegration.
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