Food inflation in Nigeria declined to 19.59 per cent in September 2026, down from 20.16 per cent recorded in September 2025, as the latest Consumer Price Index report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed contrasting food price movements across states. The NBS, in its September 2026 Consumer Price…...
Food inflation in Nigeria declined to 19.59 per cent in September 2026, down from 20.16 per cent recorded in September 2025, as the latest Consumer Price Index report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed contrasting food price movements across states.
The NBS, in its September 2026 Consumer Price Index report released in October, said month-on-month food inflation stood at -1.55 per cent, representing a 2.57 percentage-point decline from 1.02 per cent recorded in August 2026.
The development indicates that the average food price index declined between August and September, although the year-on-year rate shows that food prices remained higher than they were in September 2025.
The report attributed the movement in food inflation to changes in the average prices of several food items, including loose guinea corn flour, loose white maize flour, local short-grain rice, eggs, fresh onions, palm oil, fresh green beans, Irish potatoes, okra, fresh tomatoes, dried green peas and plantain.
Despite the national decline, the figures showed significant differences in year-on-year food inflation across states, with Lagos, Imo and Ondo recording the highest rates.
Lagos recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation at 34.40 per cent, followed by Imo at 33.79 per cent and Ondo at 31.49 per cent.
The figures indicate that food inflation remained considerably elevated in the three states, even as the national month-on-month rate moved into negative territory.
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In contrast, Taraba recorded the lowest year-on-year food inflation rate at -7.47 per cent, followed by Yobe at -0.37 per cent and Borno at 2.18 per cent.
Taraba’s negative rate indicates that the measured food price index was lower than its level a year earlier, while Yobe also recorded a marginally negative rate. Borno’s 2.18 per cent rate reflected a comparatively smaller annual increase in food prices.
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The monthly figures, however, presented a different picture of food price movements across the country.
Imo recorded the highest month-on-month food inflation at 5.15 per cent, followed by Ondo at 4.46 per cent and Oyo at 3.82 per cent, indicating that food prices, as measured by the index, increased in those states between August and September.
Adamawa recorded the lowest month-on-month rate at -13.84 per cent, followed by Kano at -11.01 per cent and Bauchi at -10.21 per cent. The negative rates indicate declines in the measured food price index over the period.
The difference between the annual and monthly figures highlights the varying pace of food price movements across states. While Lagos recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation, Adamawa recorded the sharpest month-on-month decline among the states listed in the report.
The NBS also reported that the average annual food inflation rate for the 12 months ending September 2026 stood at 15.72 per cent, down from 28.37 per cent recorded in September 2025, representing a decline of 12.66 percentage points.
The bureau cautioned against making direct comparisons of consumption baskets across states, explaining that the Consumer Price Index is weighted according to household consumption expenditure patterns, which vary by location.
According to the report, the weight assigned to particular food and non-food items may differ from one state to another, making interstate comparisons potentially misleading.
The latest figures therefore show that although food inflation eased nationally, the extent and direction of price changes differed across states, with some recording annual increases above 30 per cent and others experiencing lower annual rates or monthly declines.