The Government of Lakes State has declared a state of disaster after drought devastated crops, raising fears of severe food shortages in the coming months.
State officials announced the declaration during a meeting with humanitarian partners, saying prolonged dry spells during the main cultivation season had significantly reduced harvests and left many communities vulnerable to hunger.
Caretaker Governor Riny Tueny Mabor urged residents to prepare for the crisis at household level rather than rely entirely on external assistance.
“I know there is no funding,” he said, calling on families to secure food supplies before the situation worsens.
“We are not going to wait for the donors or relief from anyone, but we start with ourselves,” he said. “Let us start as a household. We stock enough food and get prepared to deal with this disaster until things change.”
Meanwhile, Lakes State Information Minister William Koji Kerjok appealed to international donors and humanitarian agencies to respond urgently, warning that the crisis could deteriorate into famine without immediate intervention.
“Lakes State is in disaster; take the matter as an emergency,” he said.
He called on governments at all levels to treat the situation as a national concern, saying residents were already facing severe shortages of food and water.
“It is citizens that are going to have no water, it is citizens that are not going to have food, and of course now they don’t have food,” he said.
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