Food inflation remained above 20% in 11 Nigerian states in April 2026, as rising food prices surpassed headline inflation for the first time in eight months, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The report showed food inflation rose to 16.06% in April, slightly higher than the headline inflation rate of 15.69%. It marked the first time since August 2025 that food inflation exceeded overall inflation.
Between September 2025 and March 2026, headline inflation consistently outpaced food inflation, driven largely by increases in transportation, housing, energy and services costs.
Food inflation slowed to 8.89% in January 2026 before rising steadily to 12.12% in February, 14.31% in March and 16.06% in April.
The NBS said food inflation was highest in Enugu at 32.7%, followed by Kwara at 30.8% and Adamawa at 30.1%.
Other states with food inflation above 20% included Rivers at 26.8%, Delta at 23.9%, Bauchi at 23.7%, Edo at 23.0%, Zamfara at 22.0%, Gombe at 21.6%, Anambra at 20.8% and Benue at 20.1%.
Borno recorded the slowest rise in food inflation at 1.67%, followed by Jigawa at 6.17% and Taraba at 7.19%.
According to the bureau, the increase in food prices was driven by higher costs for millet, yam flour, fresh ginger, beef, garri, yam tubers, fresh pepper, crayfish, cassava tubers, beans, Irish potatoes, tomatoes, wheat grain, soybeans, guinea corn, plantain and carrots.
On a month-to-month basis, Niger recorded the highest increase in food inflation at 8.5%, followed by Bauchi at 6.8% and Kogi at 6.7%. Benue and Plateau also posted strong increases.
Kebbi recorded the slowest monthly increase at 0.2%, while Katsina and Bayelsa posted increases of 0.5% and 1.3%, respectively.
National headline inflation rose slightly to 15.69% in April from 15.38% in March. The Consumer Price Index increased to 138.3 points from 135.4 points.
However, month-on-month headline inflation slowed to 2.13% in April from 4.18% in March, suggesting that the pace of price increases moderated.
The NBS said rural inflation remained higher than urban inflation, with rural inflation at 16.36% year-over-year compared with 15.40% in urban areas. Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for the largest share of inflationary pressure.
The worsening food inflation trend coincided with a warning from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network that between 16 million and 16.99 million Nigerians could require urgent humanitarian food assistance by November 2026.
The group said Nigeria could rank among countries with the highest number of people needing food aid globally, alongside Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen.
FEWS NET attributed the projection to persistent conflict, weak purchasing power and below-average agricultural production.
“In northern Nigeria, needs in November will likely remain elevated despite some seasonal improvements with the September main harvest and declining food prices,” the report said.
Muda Yusuf, chief executive officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, described the disinflation process as fragile amid continued pressure from food, transportation and energy costs.
He said food inflation stood at 16.06% while core inflation remained elevated at 15.86%.
“The dominant inflation drivers continue to be food, transportation, energy products, healthcare, and restaurant services,” Yusuf said.
He warned that rising geopolitical tensions involving Iran, Israel and the United States could worsen inflation through higher oil and energy prices.
Yusuf said Nigeria’s inflation challenges remained largely structural and supply-driven, arguing that tighter monetary policy alone would not resolve inflation caused by high energy costs, poor infrastructure and food supply disruptions.
He urged federal and state governments to prioritize reforms aimed at lowering transportation and energy costs, improving food supply systems and boosting domestic productivity.
Chinyere Almona, director-general of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said rising food, transportation, energy and logistics costs continued to pressure households and businesses despite signs of moderating inflation.
She said inflation was eroding purchasing power and compressing profit margins for manufacturers, traders and small businesses.
Almona added that higher rural inflation reflected insecurity in farming communities, weak transportation networks and supply chain disruptions.
She called for stronger policy coordination, exchange rate stability, improved energy supply and support for local production to sustain the moderation in inflation.
