GUBIO, Nigeria — Unrelenting price rises and a brutal insurgency had already made it hard for Nigerians in northeastern Borno State to feed their families. When a dam collapsed in September, flooding the state capital and surrounding farmland, many people ran out of options. Now they queue for handouts in camps for those displaced by fighting between extremist Boko Haram rebels and the military. When those run out, they seek work on local farms where they risk being killed or raped by local bandits. "I can't even cry anymore. I'm too tired," said Indo Usman, who tried to start again in the state capital Maiduguri, rearing animals for the two annual Muslim holy days, after years of repeatedly fleeing rebel attacks in rural Borno. The flood washed that all away, driving her, her husband and their six children to a bare room at Gubio, an unfinished housing project about 96 km northwest of Maiduguri that has become a displacement camp. Torrential rains and floods in 29 of Nigeria's 36 states this year have destroyed more than 1.5 million hectares of cropland, affecting more than 9 million people, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Climate change is a factor, as is Nigeria's poorly maintained or non-existent infrastructure as well as vulnerabilities caused by the weakening Naira currency and the scrapping of a government fuel subsidy. The cost of staples like rice and beans has doubled, tripled or even quadrupled in a year, depending on location — an unmanageable shock for millions of poor families. Mass kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and conflict between farmers and pastoralists in the central belt, traditionally the nation's bread basket, have also disrupted agriculture and squeezed food supplies. 'Hungriest of the hungry' Roughly 40% of Nigeria's more than 200 million people live below the international poverty line of $2.15 per person per day, the World Bank estimates. Already, 25 million people live in acute food and nutrition insecurity - putting their lives or livelihoods in immediate danger, according to a joint analysis by the government and U.N. agencies. That number is expected to rise to 33 million by next June-August. "The food crisis in Nigeria is immense because what we are seeing is a crisis within a crisis within a crisis," said Trust Mlambo, head of program for the northeast at the World Food Program, in an interview with Reuters in Maiduguri. With international donors focused on emergencies in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, Mlambo said there was not enough funding to fully meet Nigeria's growing need for food aid. "We are really prioritizing the hungriest of the hungry," he said. In Borno, the Alau dam, upriver from Maiduguri, gave way on Sept. 9, four days after state officials had told the public it was secure. Local residents and engineers had been warning that it was under strain. Hundreds of people were killed in the resulting flood, according to aid workers who did not wish to be identified for fear of offending the state government. A spokesperson for the state government did not respond to requests for comment. Zainab Abubakar, a self-employed tailor in the city who lived in relative comfort with her husband and six children in a house with a refrigerator, was awoken at midnight by water rushing into her bedroom. They ran for their lives while the flood destroyed their house and carried everything away, including her sewing machine. Now, they are sheltering at Gubio and collecting rice from aid agencies in a plastic bucket. "There is no alternative," she said. In Banki, on Nigeria's border with Cameroon about 133 km southeast of Maiduguri, Mariam Hassan lost crops of maize, pepper and then okra in repeated flooding of her subsistence farm this year, leaving her with nothing to eat or sell. "I beg the neighbors or relatives to give me food, not even for me but for my children, for us to survive," said Hassan, who has eight children. "The situation has turned me into a beggar."

The Libyan Department for Combating Illegal Migration has deported seven Nigerians, three Bangladeshis, and three Ghanaians detained at the Qanfoudah Immigration Detention Centre for allegedly violating the country’s laws. The deportees were flown out of Libya via Benina International Airport in Benghazi. in a statement on their X handle on Tuesday, confirmed that these individuals […]

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The recent report that over 684,000 Nigerians die from non communicable diseases, NCDs, annually, is a source of concern. Non communicable diseases are diseases that are not contagious. Most Nigerians have been battling with communicable or infectious diseases like cholera, Human Immuno Virus, HIV, tuberculosis among others. Such diseases have, however, attracted public attention as […]

Stakeholders raise concern as non-communicable diseases claim 684,000 Nigerians

Torrential rains and floods in 29 of Nigeria's 36 states this year have destroyed more than 1.5 million hectares of cropland, affecting more than nine million people

[Daily Trust] Four Nigerians - a United States-born Nigerian, Dr Oye Owolewa, District of Columbia; Segun Adeyina, Georgia, USA, Adeyemi Mobolade, Colorado Springs, USA; and Chiaka Barry, Ginninderra District, Australia - have recently won elections into various elective positions.

[Vanguard] The Diabetes Association of Nigeria, DAN, has warned that six million Nigerians with diabetes are facing existential threat, following the skyrocketing cost of healthcare.

[Premium Times] NCDC DG said healthcare workers play critical roles in preventing and managing Lassa fever and other diseases and urged them to always practice standard infection prevention and control measures.

[This Day] The advent of social media has been no doubt life transforming and life defining for many people around the globe. Nigerians are no exceptions.

[Vanguard] The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced a significant surge in daily data usage, with a 39% increase from last year, averaging 336 gigabytes per second.

[Leadership] President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday declared a new chapter in Edo State's history with the triumph of democratic values as Senator Monday Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa were sworn in as governor and deputy governor, respectively.

With prices rising, Nigerians are becoming creative. Thrift shopping is booming, offering affordable options. Gibson Emeka from Abuja looks at how this market is becoming a lifeline for many in Nigeria.

Following the keenly contested war of ballots in the recent presidential election between the incumbent President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan — who represented the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and retired General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) — which ended in favour of the retired General, Nigerians have barred their minds on their expectations from the incoming administration as they say, “to whom much is given, much more is expected.” Foremost amongst the challenges Nigerians are confronted with are economic instability, insecurity and terrorism, provision of shelter, social and infrastructural amenities, qualitative education, employment generation, and more. Proffering […]

No fewer than 971 Nigerians were abducted across the country in October 2024, DAILY POST learnt. The revelation is coming amid the emergence of a new terror group, ‘Lakurawa’ in the northwestern part of the country. The data is contained in the ‘October 2024 Nigeria Security Report’ by Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, BSIL, a […]

Over 971 Nigerians abducted in October 2024 – Report

They are returning aboard an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 aircraft under the special flight arrangements by the federal government for nationals stranded abroad.

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 The first batch of Nigerians stranded in the United States due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is on their way back home.

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Another batch of 160 Nigerians stranded in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic are on their way to Lagos. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 160 Nigerians, including eight infants, made the first batch of evacuees from the US. DAILY POST recalls that the first batch of Nigerians from the UK […]

COVID-19: Another 160 Nigerians depart US for Abuja

[Premium Times] The first batch of Nigerians stranded in the United States due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are on their way back home.

[Vanguard] A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Delta State has urged Nigerians to stop accusing Chinese investors of taking over most of the investments in the country.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, has claimed that some influential Nigerians are the sponsors of those caught mining illegally. According to Adegbite, “these godfathers” are putting pressure on the federal government to free Chinese nationals arrested for illegal mining. The Osun government on Monday, announced the arrest of 27 persons for […]

Buhari’s Minister reveals influential Nigerians fighting for release of Chinese arrested in Osun

Adebayo Obajemu The Federal Government on Friday evacuated 253 Nigerians from the United Kingdom aboard a British Airways Boeing 747 aircraft which landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. The returnees were part of the second batch of Nigerians flown in under the special flights arrangements for nationals stranded abroad. An Emirates flight […]

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The government of Nigeria has issued a warning over the use of chloroquine to treat COVID-19, after three people got overdosed, and hospitalized due to poisoning.