Victor EzejaHigh food prices in Nigeria have become a major economic and social challenge, driven by a combination of factors including inflation, supply chain disruptions, currency depreciation, and structural issues in agriculture.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday shows that the headline inflation rate dropped to 23.71 per cent in April 2025 from 24.23 per cent in March.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelFood inflation rate also dropped year-on-year to 21.26 per cent in April 2024 compared to 40.53 per cent recorded in April 2024.
While food prices seem to be dropping, some states still record high prices.
READ ALSO: Headline Inflation Rate Drops To 23.71% In April
According to the NBS data, the three states with the highest annual food inflation rates are Benue, Ekiti, and Kebbi.
While Benue hit 51.76 per cent in food inflation rate, Ekiti came second with 34.05 per cent, and Kebbi recorded 33.82 per cent.
This means that Benue, Ekiti, and Kebbi States recorded the highest rate of annual increase in food prices for the period under review.
On a month-on-month basis, April 2025 food inflation was highest in Benue (25.59 per cent), Ekiti (16.73 per cent), and Yobe (13.92 per cent).
READ ALSO: 10 States With Lowest Cost Of Living In Nigeria 2025
As observed in the data, Benue and Ekiti recorded high rates both on an annual and a month-on-month basis.
On the other hand, Ebony, Kano and Ogun recorded the highest food inflation rate on a month-on-month basis.
Accordingly, Ebonyi had -14.43 per cent, Kano, -11.37 per cent and Ogun -7.06 per cent on a month-on-month basis.
The increase in food prices in Benue may be related to the recent spike in attacks in Nigeria’s North Central state, which has left many people displaced and numerous people killed.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
