National News
WFP to Spend $2.5 billion on Hunger, Malnutrition in Nigeria
WFP to Spend $2.5 billion on Hunger, Malnutrition in Nigeria
By: Michael Mike
The United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) is spending $2.5 billion in the next four years to assist Nigeria in combating hunger and malnutrition.
This is was revealed in Abuja on Wednesday during a joint press conference by WFP and the Ministry of Humanitarian Disaster Management and Social Development to announce the WFP Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027.
The WFP Representative and Country Director, David Stevenson said Nigeria’s most vulnerable people continue to suffer critical levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, driven by persistent conflict, organised violence, recurrent climate shocks and broad exposure to the impact of climate change.
He lamented that one in three households in Nigeria cannot afford nutritious food and more than 100 million people report at least moderate food insecurity, further decrying that the severity and scale of regionalized crises have been compounded by the global food supply crisis, which has hampered Nigeria’s economic recovery from the 2019 coronavirus pandemic.
He disclosed that the WFP Nigeria CSP covers the Northeast, Northwest and states hosting Cameroonian refugees with a total budget of USD 2.5 billion for five years.
He said: “To address the challenges posed by the deteriorating food and nutrition situation, WFP will integrate its dual mandate by working on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, applying targeted emergency responses that save lives while opening shock-responsive pathways to rapid recovery and resilience using a gender transformative, nutrllition mainstreaming, climate smart, and conflict sensitive approach.
Stevenson noted that WFP focuses on crisis response, resilience building and addressing the roots causes of food insecurity and malnutrition and includes five fully integrated outcomes.
He revealed that 4.3 million people require food assistance during the lean season (June – August). of which 522,367 will be in the ‘emergency phase’ (Phase 4), noting that recurrent climate shocks with widespread crop loss from flooding, unprecedented food inflation and conflict have contributed to the deterioration of the situation. A quadrupling of severe acute malnutrition to 700,000 and 600,000 in Phase 4 emergency conditions.
He further noted that 2 million children with malnutrition 697,000 children with with severe acute malnutrition
He said to respond to the needs, WFP will increase the number of people assisted with lifesaving food assistance from one million now in February to 2.1 million during the peak of the lean season before scaling down during the harvest period. The rest of the food security actors plan to assist 700 thousand people, noting that this will leave a gap of 1.5 million people not assisted.
He added that WFP will use in-kind food, electronic voucher or cash to provide the assistance. The transfer modality selection will be informed by multisectoral assessment which will consider market functionality, protection risks, government regulations, availability of financial infrastructures, beneficiaries’ preference and how the modality contributes to resilience supporting food systems or connecting farmers to markets.
He reiterated that WFP’s total funding requirement for 2023 is USD 473 million of which US$400 million is to provide lifesaving food and nutrition assistance to the most vulnerable people in Northeast Nigeria, adding that WFP urgently requires USD 255.5 million to meet assistance needs for the next six months (March to August 2023).
In his speech, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo noted that the partnership that has existed between the Ministry and WFP has been very cordial and has achieved several milestones in the humanitarian space, stressing that: “This meeting is important to the Ministry not only to discuss the success stories from this partnership but to chart a course that will continue to strengthen the provision of enabling environment, demonstration of application of the principle of whole of society and whole of government approach in humanitarian delivery.”
He said the new five years plan made provision for WFP to expand its areas of assistance to the Northwest and refugees camps in Nigeria instead of the Northeast previously covered.
WFP to Spend $2.5 billion on Hunger, Malnutrition in Nigeria
Nigerien Army Deserter Who Joined Boko Haram Surrenders in Diffa Region
By: Our Reporter
A deserter from the Niger Republic Armed Forces who reportedly joined the terrorist group Boko Haram has surrendered to local authorities in Kindjandi, located in the Diffa Region of southeastern Niger Republic.
The individual, identified as Abba Ibrahim, had been serving with the Nigerien Armed Forces since 2022 before deserting his post in Bosso on March 8, 2025, according to military intelligence sources. He fled alongside a fellow soldier, Bandam Dala, and subsequently joined a Boko Haram faction active in the Lake Chad area.
Security sources disclosed that Ibrahim surrendered on April 21, 2025, arriving in Kindjandi on horseback with a rifle. He was accompanied by an unidentified young man whose details are yet to be confirmed.
Ibrahim was taken into custody by the Nigerien Armed Forces on the morning of April 22, 2025, and is currently undergoing debriefing and interrogation by military intelligence.
The Diffa Region has remained a hotspot for insurgent activity due to its proximity to Lake Chad and border areas with Nigeria, where Boko Haram and other extremist groups operate.
Nigerien Army Deserter Who Joined Boko Haram Surrenders in Diffa Region
National News
ECOWAS @50: WADEMOS Commends Subregional bloc for Inviting Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger to Launch
ECOWAS @50: WADEMOS Commends Subregional bloc for Inviting Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger to Launch
By: Michael Mike
The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) has commended the initiative by ECOWAS to extend an invitation to the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger for the official launch of ECOWAS’ golden jubilee in Accra.
The Network, in a press statement on Tuesday, said it supports the initiative by ECOWAS to ease tensions and foster diplomacy in a bid to sustain the common heritage, shared history, and longstanding socio-cultural ties of the peoples.
The statement read: “As ECOWAS opens its doors and extends an arm of friendship and collaboration to Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the Network encourages the three countries to reciprocate the gesture, upholding the spirit of good neighbourliness and cross-border cooperation. Such
cooperation is necessary now more than ever, especially as we require a concerted effort to confront matters of common interest to the subregion, such as security and trade.
“WADEMOS maintains the position that the restoration of trust and confidence between
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, on the one hand, and ECOWAS, on the other hand,
remains critical to sustaining cooperation and enhancing the free movement of goods and people. Building trust and confidence, we believe, is also critical to effectively combat the growing threat of terrorism across the subregion.
“Considering the close ties that exist among the West African peoples, WADEMOS
continues to urge the three Sahelian countries to be reconciliatory in their engagements with ECOWAS.”
WADEMOS is an independent and non-partisan network of diverse national and transnational civil society organisations and civic groups working to promote and defend democracy, good governance, and inclusive development in the West Africa region.
It mobilizes, coordinates, and leverages the collective voice and power of civil society and other pro-democracy actors, resources, and opportunities within the West Africa region to advance its mission. The current membership of WADEMOS stands at 47 spread across West Africa.
The WADEMOS Secretariat is based in Accra, Ghana.
ECOWAS @50: WADEMOS Commends Subregional bloc for Inviting Mali, Burkina-Faso, Niger to Launch
Interior Minister Orders Investigation into Alleged Extortion by NSCDC Officers
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has ordered an immediate investigation into allegations of extortion involving officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The officers, according to a viral post, allegedly extorted ₦5.2 million from a group of young men traveling from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State to Akure, Ondo State.
The Minister, in a statement by his spokesman, Babatunde Alao, noted that any officer found guilty will face the full weight of the law.
He said: “We will not tolerate any form of misconduct from our security agencies.
“We are building a paramilitary that is disciplined, professional and serve Nigeria and Nigerians with all sense of diginity and patriotism.
“On this case, we will see that justice is upheld and ensure that security personnel serve with forthrightness,” he said.
Interior Minister Orders Investigation into Alleged Extortion by NSCDC Officers
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Young woman found dead in suspected suicide at Life Camp Abuja construction site
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