General
Nigeria Hunger Crisis Worsens, Hits Lake Chad Basin
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Few days ago, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) raised an alarm of food crisis in northeast Nigeria caused by activities of Boko Haram militants.
It warned then that if nothing urgent was done, it could become worse.
However, on Friday, the FAO further warned that the food security situation in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin is drastically deteriorating as conflict and instability continue.
The agency has called for swift and decisive action from the international community to protect the livelihoods of millions of families dependent on farming, livestock and fishing for their food and livelihoods.
It said with the next planting season starting in May, and with scarcity of animal fodder and water points during the lean season, it is crucial that crop seeds, tools and livestock support reach families urgently to limit the scope of the deepening crisis that now involves four countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
Some 7.1 million people are now severely food insecure across the four countries. Among them are 515,000 children who are suffering from severe acute malnutrition – a condition which, if untreated, can lead to permanent damage to a child’s development and even death.
FAO is among the UN agencies and governments attending the Oslo Humanitarian Conference today, organized to mobilize international funding for the crisis-struck region, where 80 to 90 percent of people rely on farming, fishing and herding for their livelihoods.
“In the worst-affected areas, famine continues to loom — and millions will remain trapped in cycles of severe hunger if we don’t enable farmers to start cropping now,” said Dominique Burgeon, Director of FAO’s Emergency and Rehabilitation Division, who is representing FAO at the conference. “Our collective efforts cannot be limited to merely avoiding massive famine – they need to allow people to return to a dignified life. And supporting agriculture is the key to both,” he said.
Besides reducing hunger and boosting nutrition, investing in farmers also provides much needed job opportunities that reduce migration and limit the potential for radicalization of unemployed youth, according to Burgeon.
Crisis spilling across borders
Violence related to the armed group Boko Haram in north eastern Nigeria has spilled over to parts of neighbouring countries in the Lake Chad Basin – specifically, Cameroon’s Far North, western Chad and south eastern Niger – with devastating effects on food security and livelihoods.
With the Lake Chad Basin approaching a critical period in the agricultural calendar, FAO is urgently calling for $30 million in immediate emergency support to help farming families in the four countries get ready to plant in the upcoming May planting season and prevent them from slipping into long-term dependency on food aid.
It said a total of $232 million will be needed to secure food production and access to food for three million people in the worst-hit areas over the next three years. The vast majority of the requested funds – some $191 million – is designated for Nigeria, which is bearing the brunt of the crisis.
Violence and displacement drive severe hunger
Violence has driven millions across the four countries from their homes and hampered access to agricultural lands and assets, creating massive humanitarian needs in an area already struggling with food insecurity, poverty and environmental degradation. Host communities, in particular, have been struggling for several years now to feed the displaced as well as their own.
As humanitarian access improves, revealing the magnitude of impact of the conflict, time has come to support both people who remained on their land and those who decide to return to their original livelihoods.
In Borno State alone, the population in crisis, emergency and catastrophe phases of food insecurity (Phases 3 to 5 on the five-tiered scale used by humanitarian agencies) increased from 2 million in August 2016 to 3.3 million in October-December 2016. The worst-affected in this group are not able to feed themselves and have exhausted all resources by selling off their belongings, including seeds, tools and animals. Without intervention, that number is expected to climb to 3.6 million at the height of the lean season in August 2017.
The UN foresees around 120 000 people facing famine conditions in Nigeria. Of this number, the vast majority – some 96 percent — are expected to be in Borno.
Targeting the most vulnerable
Emergency farming assistance must go hand in hand with food assistance for it to be successful throughout the upcoming lean season. To this end, FAO is collaborating with the World Food Programme to ensure vulnerable families — mainly IDPs and host communities — receive food assistance, and at the same time agriculture-based livelihood support in the form of provision of seeds, tools and fertilizer. This way, they will able to restore and protect their livelihoods and farming assets for ongoing food production.
FAO’s long-term strategy for the Lake Chad region puts a special emphasis on supporting refugees, internally displaced families and host communities, as these are the most vulnerable groups in this crisis. Interventions are geared to improving their food security and nutrition and building their resilience so they are better equipped to handle future shocks. In addition, restoring agriculture-based livelihoods will offer a unique opportunity to pave the way to recovery and peace in the affected areas.
The strategy incorporates not only provision of farming and livestock inputs but also technical training, cash transfers, instruction in natural resource management, and support in setting up community-managed funds that can reduce vulnerability to shocks.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) and the Niger State Government have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pilot the Sustainable Integrated Productive Communities (SIPC) programme and enterprise development into a single, scalable framework for inclusive growth.
The MoU was signed at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs Doris Uzoka-Anite, described the agreement as a moment of delivery rather than a ceremonial exercise, noting that the SIPC Programme demonstrates how national priorities can be translated into tangible outcomes through strong federal-state collaboration.
“This partnership reflects our belief that development works best when housing, agriculture, finance, and governance move together. By anchoring farmers in secure, well-planned communities, we are not just building houses. We are strengthening livelihoods, food security, and long-term prosperity,” she said.
Under the programme, Niger State will host the pilot phase of integrated farming and housing estates designed to provide farmers with secure settlements located close to agricultural production zones, storage, processing facilities, and markets.
The model directly addresses long-standing challenges such as insecure rural settlements, rural-urban migration, post-harvest losses, and limited youth participation in agriculture.
On his part, Mr Mohammed Umaru Bago, Executive Governor of Niger State, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the initiative, highlighting the availability of extensive arable land, water resources and supporting infrastructure.
He emphasized that the programme would also contribute to improved security, climate resilience, and the orderly development of rural communities while creating viable economic opportunities for farming households.
The SIPC Programme adopts an innovative financing structure that blends public land and assets with private investment, allowing the government to focus on policy, coordination, and oversight while leveraging private-sector efficiency and scale. MOFI’s role is central to this approach, ensuring transparency, sustainability, and shared risk across partners.
Key federal agencies participating in the initiative include Family Homes Funds Limited, the Rural Electrification Agency, and Niger Foods Limited, each contributing sector-specific expertise spanning affordable housing delivery, renewable energy solutions and agricultural value chain development. Renewable energy, particularly solar-powered community infrastructure and mini-grids, will underpin agro-processing, storage, and household energy needs, reducing costs and enhancing productivity.
Beyond agriculture, the programme is expected to stimulate broad-based economic activity through construction, logistics, agro-processing and community services, creating jobs for engineers, artisans, builders and suppliers, while supporting local industries such as cement, steel and transportation.
The settlements are explicitly designed to be affordable and functional, with transparent allocation mechanisms and governance structures to ensure access for farmers and low – to middle-income earners.
The signing of the MoU sends a clear signal to developers, financial institutions, pension funds, agribusiness investors and development partners that Niger State, working in alignment with the Federal Ministry of Finance and MOFI, is open to credible, impact-driven investment. The SIPC framework is intended to serve as a replicable national model for integrated rural and peri-urban development.
The Federal Ministry of Finance also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the agreement moves swiftly from signing to execution, with close coordination among all stakeholders to deliver measurable outcomes on housing, food security, employment and inclusive economic growth.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is among 75 countries the US government will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for its citizens.
According to the US State Department, the citizens of the 75 countries are those whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.
The State Department, led by Secretary Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the US.
Business Post gathered that alongside Nigeria are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Dominica.
Others include Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
The suspension, which will begin on January 21, will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement.
“Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
President Donald Trump’s administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria has reportedly engaged the services of a Washington-based lobbying firm, DCI Group, in a $9 million contract aimed at communicating its efforts to protect Christians in Nigeria to the United States government.
According to The Africa Report, the amount appears to be a record for African lobbying in the US capital, citing documents filed with the US Department of Justice by Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, acting on behalf of National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu.
The agreement, signed on December 17, 2025, between Mr Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, Managing Partner of Aster Legal, and Mr Justin Peterson, Managing Member of DCI Group, authorises the US firm to assist the Nigerian government “in communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities and maintaining US support in countering West African jihadist groups and other destabilizing elements.”
Under the terms of the contract, DCI Group will receive $750,000 monthly, amounting to $9 million over 12 months. The deal runs initially for six months, until June 30, 2026, with an automatic renewal clause for another six-month period.
A clause in the agreement also allowed either party to terminate the deal “for any reason without penalty” by giving 60 days’ advance written notice.
It was reported that on December 12, 2025, Nigeria paid DCI Group 50 per cent or $4.5 million prepayment covering the first six months of the retainership agreement. A second installment is due at the end of the initial contract period.
This comes amid recent threats by US President Donald Trump to invade the country after its redesignation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing alleged attacks against Christian communities. However, the Nigerian government has repeatedly denied claims of a Christian genocide, insisting that violence in the country affects all regardless of their affiliations.
Following an engagement late last year, the federal government pledged to “engage with the American government through diplomatic and legal channels” to address the allegations. Since late November, the US has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria.
On Christmas Day, the US military launched airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) terrorist enclaves in Bauni Forest, Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, marking a significant escalation in US counterterrorism involvement in Nigeria.
On Tuesday, the US delivered critical military supplies to Nigeria to bolster the country’s operations, the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.
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