Luxury on Display, Hunger in the Shadows: Nigeria's Malnourished Children Outnumber War-Torn Sudan’s

 

Nigeria Now Africa’s Epicenter of Child Malnutrition, Surpasses War-Torn Sudan

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has delivered a sobering verdict on the state of child nutrition in Nigeria — and the news is devastating. Despite being one of Africa’s largest economies, Nigeria has now overtaken Sudan to become the continent’s most malnourished nation for children and ranks second globally. This damning revelation comes at a time when Sudan, still reeling from civil conflict, is struggling with one of the worst hunger crises on the planet.

Across Sudan, 24.6 million people, nearly half the population, are acutely food insecure. Among them, over 638,000 are experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger — the highest anywhere in the world. Yet Nigeria, a country with a functioning democracy, steady oil revenues, and bustling metropolises, has managed to eclipse even this grim benchmark in terms of childhood malnutrition.

UNICEF’s data paints a disturbing picture: approximately two million Nigerian children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, and only 20% of them are receiving treatment. A staggering 32% of Nigerian children under five are stunted, ranking the country second globally in that grim category. Among women of reproductive age, 7% suffer from acute malnutrition. Just 18% of children aged six to 23 months are fed a minimum acceptable diet.

This isn’t happening in a vacuum. The contrast between the glittering surface of Nigerian urban life and the grim realities of its hinterlands is blinding. Social media is flooded with images of designer wear, champagne-fueled parties, and exotic vacations. Meanwhile, children in rural and semi-urban areas survive on cassava pudding for breakfast and dinner, with their visibly bloated faces silently screaming of protein deficiency. In some communities, families still drink from the same water sources as livestock.

This tragic paradox is sharpened by the knowledge that Nigeria, unlike Sudan, is not in the throes of war. With 50 federal ministers and multiple layers of governance, the machinery of the Nigerian state hums daily. Federation allocations are disbursed routinely, and politicians parade around in luxury SUVs. Still, the basics — food, healthcare, education — remain out of reach for millions.

From the streets of Lagos to the alleys of Borno, signs of systemic failure are everywhere. Children hawking sachet water, groundnuts, and phone accessories is now an everyday sight, a grim reminder that schooling is no longer a universal right. In the insurgency-stricken parts of the country, especially in areas ruled by bandits and Boko Haram insurgents, children live under a parallel form of governance. There, taxes are paid to armed criminals, and basic survival takes precedence over nourishment or health.

Efforts to sugarcoat this reality fall flat in the face of cold statistics. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its September 2024 ‘Cost of Healthy Diet’ report, estimated that an adult needs N1,346 daily to maintain a healthy diet — a 7.3% increase from the previous month. This translates to over N120,000 monthly per individual, while the minimum wage remains pegged at N70,000. How can a family of four survive, let alone thrive, on that?

This economic mismatch is even more scandalous in light of recent corruption allegations. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently arrested top officials at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) over a $2.9 billion fund mismanagement scandal tied to refinery rehabilitation. One dismissed managing director was found with N80 billion stashed away. Separate reports also indicate that N71 billion from the much-anticipated student loan fund, NELFUND, is missing.

Despite these revelations, public outrage is muted. The same society that bemoans hunger turns a blind eye when funds meant to end that hunger are stolen. Civil servants receive salaries that can't sustain basic nutrition, yet corruption prosecutions barely stir national conversations beyond short-lived headlines.

Nigeria is caught in a web of contradictions. The elite enjoy gourmet meals in upscale restaurants, spending tens of thousands in a single sitting — equivalent to what a waiter in that same restaurant might earn in a month. Beneath the surface of this performative affluence is a nation breaking under the weight of inequality, malnutrition, and denial.

Rather than addressing the root causes, successive governments have often outsourced accountability to international agencies like UNICEF, choosing to react to foreign reports rather than acting proactively. This reliance speaks volumes about the disconnect between governance and the governed.

This is no longer just a matter of food security. It is a test of national conscience, one Nigeria is failing dramatically. When a country with no active war zone, a robust civil service, and enormous natural wealth outpaces a war-torn region in child hunger, it should prompt more than media soundbites or diplomatic statements. It should trigger a national emergency.

Until then, while fashion shows continue in Lagos and convoys snake through Abuja, millions of children are quietly wasting away, bearing the consequences of a nation that sees but refuses to act.