Observed annually on 19 August, this day honours humanitarian workers and shines a spotlight on the millions displaced or affected by crises globally.
The 2025 Theme:This year’s message carries a resounding urgency: “A Call to #ActForHumanity.”
According to the United Nations, the theme underscores the severe strain on the humanitarian system — one that is increasingly underfunded, overwhelmed, and under attack.
In 2024 alone, over 380 humanitarian workers were killed, with many more injured, kidnapped, or detained.
The campaign highlights a disturbing truth: the laws meant to protect aid workers, along with the people they serve, are being violated—and those responsible too often face no consequences.
Nigeria: A Humanitarian Emergency Unfolding
Nearly 31 million Nigerians are currently facing acute food insecurity.
Due to funding cuts, particularly starting August 2025, over 1.3 million people risk losing access to food aid.
In Borno State alone, 150 nutrition clinics may close, leaving 300,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition, and 700,000 displaced people without support.
In Katsina State, severe malnutrition claimed at least 652 children’s lives between January and June 2025.
Cases rose by 208% compared to the same period in 2024, worsened by displacement and disrupted agriculture.
Despite allocating ₦200 billion (~US$130 million), the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded.
Maternal Health Under Threat
Critical maternal and reproductive health services are being jeopardized by aid slashes.
In northeast Nigeria, essential care provided by UN clinics has been compromised, with Nigeria accounting for about one-third of global maternal deaths in 2023 (~75,000 deaths).
Only 50% of UN’s $927 million 2024 humanitarian response plan was funded.
As lean seasons approach, 70% of health facilities supported by aid are now at risk.
Floods, Displacement, and Protection Risks
The Mokwa flood in May 2025 was catastrophic: over 500 confirmed dead, more than 600 missing, and thousands displaced.
Health threats from cholera, typhoid, and malnutrition loom large.
Across June, further floods and violence in Benue and Niger States left hundreds dead, thousands displaced, and access to essential services severely disrupted.
UNFPA’s interventions—ranging from safe spaces to psychosocial aid—reached thousands—but faced a staggering over 90% funding gap (only about 6–11% of required funds received).
Attacks on Humanitarian Workers
The threat to those on the frontlines is real and rising. In 2024, Boko Haram executed aid workers, and in December that year, ISWAP did the same near Zari, Borno State.
This growing peril resonates painfully with the WHD theme: “under attack.”
As the world observes World Humanitarian Day 2025, Nigeria stands as a stark manifestation of the global plea to #ActForHumanity.
Here, mounting violence, collapsing health systems, climate disasters, and insufficient humanitarian funding intersect—creating a deepening crisis that demands urgent, sustained global engagement.
This World Humanitarian Day, the world must not forget the communities in Nigeria whose survival depends on collective action.
Recognition, resourcing, and accountability are not just ideals—they’re lifelines.