Nigerian Alarming Food Inflation: Kogi, Niger, Benue Top List

• …. As Prices Soar –NBS

BY BONNY AMADI

Nigerian states continue to record alarming food inflationary trends, as food prices continue to skyrocket, remaining under intense pressure across several states.

In June 2026, Kogi, Niger and Benue recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation rates, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The NBS report showed that while Nigeria’s headline food inflation rate stood at 17.52 per cent on a year-on-year basis in June 2026, significant disparities existed across states, with Kogi recording a staggering 53.02 per cent, the highest in the country.

Although the national food inflation rate was lower than the 25.41 per cent recorded in June 2025, food prices continued to rise sharply in several states.

Niger State followed Kogi with a year-on-year food inflation rate of 43.83 per cent, while Benue State, widely regarded as Nigeria’s food basket because of its extensive agricultural production, recorded the third-highest food inflation rate at 40.83 per cent.

According to the NBS, the increase in food inflation nationwide was driven by changes in the average prices of key food items, including crayfish, fresh pepper, fresh tomatoes, dried green peas, yam flour sold loose, water yam, beef, banana, cassava flour, cowpea, Garri, Irish potatoes and yam tubers, among other staple commodities.

The bureau further disclosed that on a month-on-month basis, the national food inflation rate rose to 3.75 per cent in June 2026 from 2.98 per cent recorded in May 2026, representing an increase of 0.77 percentage points, reflecting a faster pace of food price increases during the month.

Despite the monthly increase, the average annual food inflation rate for the 12 months ending June 2026 stood at 16.42 per cent, which was 15.51 percentage points lower than the 31.93 per cent recorded in the corresponding period ending June 2025.

State-by-state figures, however, revealed substantial differences in food price movements.

Kogi recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation rate at 53.02 per cent, meaning food prices in the state increased by more than half compared to June last year.

Niger followed with 43.83 per cent, while Benue posted 40.83 per cent, underscoring persistent food price pressures even in one of Nigeria’s largest agricultural producing states.

Conversely, Katsina recorded the slowest annual increase in food inflation at 19.15 per cent, followed by Rivers at 23.81 per cent and Imo at 24.60 per cent.

On a month-on-month basis, Katsina experienced the sharpest increase in food prices at 16.82 per cent, followed by Kebbi at 9.79 per cent and Niger at 8.96 per cent.