By Muhammad Mamman
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has issued a dire warning about the deepening food crisis in conflict-ravaged north-eastern Nigeria, where over 3.7 million people are struggling daily to find enough to eat.
In a heartfelt statement released on Monday, Aliyu Dawobe, the ICRC’s public relations officer, revealed that many of those facing hunger were once proud farmers—men and women who had fed their communities, now displaced and destitute after years of unrelenting violence.
Conflict has not only driven families from their homes, but it has also made access to farmland a dangerous gamble, crippling food production and leaving once-thriving communities at the mercy of hunger.
As the lean season takes hold—the time of year when food stores run dry and families must rely on market purchases—the situation has become increasingly desperate.
“This is the period when families must begin buying food,” said Diana Japaridze, head of the ICRC office in Maiduguri. “But for many households battered by conflict, there is simply no money left. They are being forced to slash their food intake, sometimes eating just once a day.”
The consequences are heartbreaking. Rates of malnutrition are soaring, particularly among children under five, and among pregnant and breastfeeding mothers—those most in need of nourishment.
To ease the burden, the ICRC has rolled out an agricultural aid programme, while also supporting centres to stabilise malnourished children and offering vital community education to help families care for the most vulnerable.
“This year alone, we’ve reached more than 21,000 farming households,” Ms Japaridze explained. “We’ve provided them with seeds that suit the local environment, tools to lighten their workload, and a diverse mix of crops—rice, maize, tomato, okra—to improve nutrition.”
She added that the ICRC, in partnership with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), has also repaired a critical water source, ensuring the council’s seed testing and greenhouse facilities can continue operating.
Yet despite these interventions, the road ahead remains fraught with hardship.
“The lean season is still a looming crisis,” Ms Japaridze warned. “Too many farmers still cannot grow enough to feed their own families.”
Voices from within the communities echoed her concern.
“Right now, we are living through a serious food shortage,” said Modu Umar, a local leader in Dikwa. “Many families walk for miles each day, gathering and selling firewood just to afford a few handfuls of grain. But farming is the only real, lasting solution.”
Churi Ibrahim, a 70-year-old farmer from Gajibo, painted a sobering picture:
“Some people have to walk three hours just to reach their farmland. By the time they get there, they’re already exhausted. And the journey back is even longer.”
Yet amidst the fear and hardship, a quiet resilience endures.
“Even when they’re afraid, they still go,” said Bintu Konto, a mother of five. “Because if we don’t farm during the rainy season, we’ll have nothing to eat when it ends.”
