Nigeria’s food inflation rate jumped to 12.12% in February, up from 8.89% in January, indicating increased pressure on household food budgets.
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) attributes this surge to higher prices of essential staples like beans, yam flour, cassava, and crayfish.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation also rebounded, rising to 4.69% in February after two months of decline, compared to –6.02% in January.
Meanwhile, the country’s headline inflation rate recorded a slight drop to 15.06% in February from 15.10% in January, reflecting a marginal decrease of 0.04 percentage points. Year-on-year, headline inflation fell significantly by 11.21 percentage points from 26.27% in February 2025.
However, on a monthly basis, headline inflation rose by 2.01% in February, indicating a faster pace of increase in the general price level compared to January’s –2.88%.
The latest inflation trend comes amid a rise in global oil prices. Brent crude increased by 3.67% to $103.39 per barrel on Tuesday, up from its previous close of $100.21, as geopolitical tensions intensified around the Strait of Hormuz.
Further analysis showed that the average annual food inflation rate for the 12 months ending February 2026 stood at 19.08%, significantly lower than the 37.40% recorded in the same period of 2025.
At the state level, Kogi recorded the highest food inflation at 26.91%, followed by Adamawa (23.12%) and Benue (21.89%). In contrast, Katsina (5.09%), Bauchi (7.09%), and Imo (7.65%) recorded the slowest increases.
On a month-on-month basis, Bayelsa (8.81%), Ebonyi (8.51%), and Edo (7.72%) recorded the highest increases in food inflation, while Katsina (-0.70%) saw a slight decline.
