The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown that Nigeria’s food inflation rate eased to 8.89% year-on-year in January 2026, marking its first single-digit reading in 128 months and the lowest level in 174 months.
The January 2026 CPI data indicates that food inflation stood at 8.89 per cent. This, the bureau said, is 20.74 points lower compared to the rate recorded in December 2025 (29.63 percent). Month-on-month, the food index was -6.02 per cent compared to -0.36 per cent in December.
The NBS attributed the decline in food inflation to the rate of decrease in the average prices of water yam, eggs, green peas, groundnut oil, soya beans, palm oil, maize, guinea corn, beans, beef, melon, unshelled, cassava tuber, and cowpeas among others.
However, core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produces and energy, stood at 17.72 per cent year on year in January 2026 compared to 25.27 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025.
Month-on-month, the core index stood at 1.69 per cent compared to 0.58 per cent in the preceding month.
“The decrease can be attributed to the rate of decrease in the average prices of Water Yam, Eggs, Green Peas, Groundnut Oil, Soya Beans, Palm Oil, Maize (Corn) Grains, Guinea Corn, Beans, Beef Meat, Melon (Egusi) Unshelled, Cassava Tuber, Cow Peas (White) etc.
“The average annual rate of food inflation for the twelve months ending January 2026 over the previous twelve-month average was 20.29%, which was 18.18% points lower compared with the average annual rate of change recorded in January 2025 (38.47%).”
The NBS further said in January 2026, food inflation was the highest year-on-year in Kogi (19.84 percent), Benue (18.38 percent), and Adamawa (17.29 percent).
On the other hand, states such as Ebonyi (1.69 percent), Abia (3.23 percent), and Imo (3.74 percent) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis.
On a month-on-month basis, however, food inflation in the month under review was reportedly highest in Imo (-1.26 percent), Akwa Ibom (-2.21 percent) and Zamfara (-2.96 percent).
The bureau said Yobe (-11.88 percent), Nasarawa (-9.06 percent), and Sokoto (-8.31 percent) recorded a decline in food inflation on a month-on-month basis.
Putting the statistics in perspective, Nairalytics explained that the 8.89% reading is the first time food inflation has fallen below 10% since May 2015, when it stood at 9.78%.
From June 2015, when the rate rose to 10.04%, food inflation remained in double digits for 128 consecutive months until December 2025.
