UN Raises the Alarm over $159m Funding Gap, Says Millions May Miss Lifesaving Aid
Michael Olugbode in Abuja The United Nations has warned that millions of Nigerians facing food insecurity, malnutrition and disease outbreaks could miss critical humanitarian assistance as the country’s 2026 humanitarian
The United Nations has issued a dire warning that millions of Nigerians at risk of food insecurity, malnutrition and disease outbreaks could miss out on vital humanitarian assistance due to a $159 million funding shortfall in the country's 2026 humanitarian response. Mohamed Fall, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, made the alarming disclosure in Maiduguri as the UN observed World Humanitarian Day.
He called on international donors, the Nigerian government, private sector entities and other stakeholders to urgently increase support for the needy. Fall pointed out that Nigeria's Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan has been woefully underfunded despite a surge in humanitarian needs, with hundreds of thousands of vulnerable individuals at risk of losing access to life-saving aid.
He emphasized that current funding represents only a fraction of what was available for humanitarian operations in previous years. The warning came after an inspection of nutrition and cholera treatment centers in Maiduguri by Fall and members of the UN and Humanitarian Country Teams. They encountered firsthand the humanitarian response to the crisis in Nigeria’s northeast, which reached nearly 900,000 people during the first half of 2026, despite declining financial resources.
According to the UN, $135.5 million has been allocated in 2026 through the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund and the Central Emergency Response Fund to address emergencies across the nation. However, additional contributions are urgently required to bridge the funding gap and maintain critical interventions as humanitarian needs escalate during lean and rainy seasons.
Fall specifically highlighted the situation in Borno State, where government authorities, health professionals and humanitarian organizations have coordinated a response to an ongoing cholera outbreak. He reported that over 55,000 cholera patients have been treated, and hygiene promotion services have reached more than one million people.
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