Food Prices Climb Again as Inflation Hits 12.12% in February

Nigeria’s food inflation increased in February, marking a reversal of a six-month decline, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The year-on-year food inflation rate rose to 12.12 per cent from 8.89 per cent in January, largely driven by rising costs of staples such as beans, cassava tuber, yam flour and crayfish.

Month-on-month, food inflation jumped to 4.69 per cent in February, compared to -6.02 per cent recorded in January.

Meanwhile, the country’s headline inflation rate edged down slightly to 15.06 per cent in February from 15.10 per cent in January.

According to the NBS:
“In February 2026, the headline inflation rate eased to 15.06 per cent… a decrease of 0.04% compared to January 2026.”

The agency also noted that inflation has dropped significantly compared to the previous year, with February 2026 figures 11.21 percentage points lower than February 2025.

However, monthly data showed renewed pressure on prices, as headline inflation rose to 2.01 per cent from -2.88 per cent.

Food Inflation Breakdown

The report stated:
“The food inflation rate in February 2026 was 12.12 per cent on a year-on-year basis…

“However… on a month-on-month basis… it was 4.69 per cent… up by 10.70 per cent compared to January 2026 (-6.02 per cent).”

The increase was linked to rising prices of items such as beans, carrots, cassava, crayfish, millet flour, yam flour, snails and ogbono.

States with Highest Inflation

The NBS report showed that Kogi State recorded the highest inflation rates, with 23.57 per cent headline inflation and 26.91 per cent food inflation.

Other states with high inflation included Benue State and Anambra State, while Katsina State, Imo State and Ebonyi State recorded the lowest increases.

On a monthly basis, Enugu State, Ogun State and Anambra State recorded the highest rises, while Zamfara State, Bauchi State and Katsina State recorded declines.

Africans Angle News