BY HADIZA IBRAHIM NGULDE, MAY 31, 2025| 03:48 PM

Imagine a child in a quiet corner of a dusty village in Nigeria. His tiny limbs are frail, his skin loose around bones that seem too small to bear his weight. His ribcage is evident, and his eyes look up at you in despair. This is not just an imaginary picture; it is the story of millions of Nigerian children robbed of strength before they learn to walk.

Malnutrition is one of Nigeria's most pressing emergencies.

According to UNICEF, Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunted children in the world, with an estimated 11 million children suffering from nutritional deficits in 2024. In the NorthEastern regions ravaged by conflict and displacement, nearly half of all children under five are acutely malnourished. While statistics are alarming, they don't convey the smell of an empty pot or the ache of a mother watching her child slowly wither. Behind every number is a name, a face, and a heartbeat.

Hunger is not always about food

At first glance, you might think malnutrition is simply a lack of food.

However, it's more complex than that. It's a combination of poverty, poor sanitation, disease, ignorance, and systemic neglect.

Many Nigerian children eat daily, yet what they consume lacks the essential nutrients to grow and develop. The result is nutritional deficiencies that quietly sabotage their future.

The first 1,000 days

Health experts warn that the most critical window in a child's development is the first 1,000 days, from conception to a child's second birthday. Malnutrition during this period can cause irreversible damage to a child's brain and body.

Many of Nigeria's malnourished children will never recover from the setbacks of their early years. Hospitals across the country report heartbreaking cases of children with bloated stomachs, thinning hair, and lifeless energy. Some are diagnosed with kwashiorkor or marasmus—severe forms of malnutrition that are entirely preventable.

Why the silence?

Part of what makes malnutrition so dangerous is that it often hides in plain sight. A child might not look visibly sick but will struggle in school, fall ill often, or fail to meet milestones. It's not dramatic like an epidemic, yet it kills silently and steadily.

Government programs exist, such as school feeding schemes, nutrition campaigns, and health interventions like the National Home-Grown School Feeding Program (NHGSFP), but implementation remains inconsistent. In rural areas, where the crisis hits hardest, clinics are often underfunded.

Meanwhile, the rising cost of food due to inflation and insecurity has made survival a daily battle.

Hope in small doses

Yet amidst the hardship, there is hope. In Katsina State, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is at the forefront, providing intervention for the thousands of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

In Borno, UNICEF-supported nutrition centers treat thousands of children with ready-to-use therapeutic food, a peanut-based paste that can reverse severe malnutrition in weeks.

Where do we go from here?

Solving malnutrition in Nigeria requires more than donations or one-time interventions. It demands systemic change—access to affordable food, clean water, maternal education, improved healthcare, and political will that sees nutrition not as charity, but as a right. For every child that regains strength, there are countless others still waiting, still hungry, still silent. Behind every malnourished child is a story and a silent plea not for pity, but for action.