A survey by international polling agency Globescan has revealed that Nigerian children risk stunted growth in the next 15 years because of poor nutrition.
According to the survey, many Nigerian families cannot afford basics such as meat, milk or vegetables. The researchers said this meant that they lacked the necessary ingredients required for physical and mental development.
Chronic hunger and malnutrition can cause significant health problems, and people who go hungry all the time are likely to be underweight, weighing significantly less than an average person of their size and their growth may also be stunted.
Earlier this week, the West African country's National Bureau of Statistics said 61 percent of Nigerians lived on less than $1 per day in 2010 compared to 51 percent in 2004.
The survey, which was also conducted on families in India, Bangladesh, Peru, and Pakistan, showed that children were forced to abandon school to help their families in hunting for food.
The UK charity Save the Children said most of the world's children are dying from hunger and malnutrition, which contributes to the deaths of 2.6 million children each year.
Last year, food prices rose significantly after severe weather in some of the world's biggest food exporting countries in 2010 damaged supplies.
According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), there is a correlation between last year's high food prices and child malnutrition.
"The world has made dramatic progress in reducing child deaths, down from 12 to 7.6 million, but this momentum will stall if we fail to tackle malnutrition," Save the Children chief executive Justin Forsyth told the BBC.
UK's International Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell said his country will lead the way in reducing hunger and protecting children from food price rises - starting with a Hunger Summit when world leaders converge in London for the Olympics.
Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer, pumping more than two-million barrels per day, but corruption has deprived many ordinary Nigerians from sharing in their country's wealth.
