The International Monetary Fund estimates that the number of Nigerians lacking food security increased from about 2.5 million as of December 2019 to about 4.5 million as of September 2021.
The estimate was provided in a graph in the IMF’s ‘Nigeria Staff Report for the 2021 Article IV Consultation’ report.
The Washington-based attributed this increase to be a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report read in part, “The COVID-19 pandemic, however, is leaving a lasting imprint on the vulnerable with an increased number of people facing food insecurity and poverty.”
The IMF also said that the country would continue to experience the impacts of the pandemic due to rising food insecurity and increased poverty levels.
