By Ayomide Otitoju
Nigeria’s annual food inflation rate increased to 12.2 per cent in February 2026, up from 8.89 per cent recorded in January, signaling renewed pressure on household food costs.
In its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) attributed the rise to increased prices of key staples, including beans, yam flour, cassava tuber, crayfish, and other food items.
The report also showed that monthly food inflation reversed a two-month decline, rising sharply to 4.69 per cent in February from -6.02 per cent in January.
Despite the uptick in food prices, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate recorded a marginal decline, easing to 15.06 per cent in February from 15.10 per cent in January, representing a slight 0.04 percentage point drop.
On a year-on-year basis, headline inflation fell significantly by 11.21 percentage points compared to 26.27 per cent recorded in February 2025, indicating a moderation in overall price pressures relative to the previous year.
However, on a month-on-month basis, headline inflation rose to 2.01 per cent in February, compared to -2.88 per cent in January, reflecting a faster pace of price increases during the period under review.
The report noted that food inflation on a year-on-year basis stood at 12.12 per cent in February 2026, representing a decline of 14.86 percentage points from 26.98 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
On a monthly basis, food inflation increased by 10.70 percentage points, driven by higher average prices of items such as carrots, okazi leaves, cassava, crayfish, millet flour, snails, and ogbono.
The NBS further disclosed that the average annual rate of food inflation for the 12 months ending February 2026 stood at 19.08 per cent, significantly lower than 37.40 per cent recorded in February 2025.
At the subnational level, Kogi State recorded the highest headline inflation rate at 23.57 per cent, followed by Benue at 22.85 per cent and Anambra at 22.09 per cent. In contrast, Katsina (7.78 per cent), Imo (11.66 per cent), and Ebonyi (11.71 per cent) posted the lowest year-on-year inflation rates.
On a month-on-month basis, Enugu (5.92 per cent), Ogun (4.39 per cent), and Anambra (4.11 per cent) recorded the highest increases in headline inflation, while Zamfara (-2.14 per cent), Bauchi (-1.23 per cent), and Katsina (-1.06 per cent) experienced declines.
Food inflation followed a similar pattern, with Kogi (26.91 per cent), Adamawa (23.12 per cent), and Benue (21.89 per cent) recording the highest year-on-year increases, while Katsina (5.09 per cent), Bauchi (7.09 per cent), and Imo (7.65 per cent) recorded the slowest rise.
On a month-on-month basis, Bayelsa (8.81 per cent), Ebonyi (8.51 per cent), and Edo (7.72 per cent) recorded the highest food inflation rates, while Katsina posted the lowest at -0.70 per cent.
Analysts attribute part of the renewed inflationary pressure to rising global crude oil prices, which have continued to climb amid geopolitical tensions affecting supply routes, including the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
