Adamawa, Kwara, Rivers Lead List of 10 States With Highest Food Inflation
- Food inflation fell to 16.96% year-on-year in May 2026, compared with 24.55 percent recorded in May 2025
- Adamawa, Kwara, Rivers saw the highest food inflation rates, while Borno, Taraba and Bayelsa recorded the lowest increases
- Data shows that month-on-month food inflation dropped to 2.98% in May 2026, versus 3.63% recorded in April 2026
Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.
According to the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) report published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), food inflation decreased in May 2026, with increases in food prices slowing down as compared to the preceding month.
The NBS stated that food inflation stood at 2.98% on a month-on-month basis in May 2026, which is a 0.65 percentage point decrease compared with 3.63% recorded in April 2026.
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Food inflation on a year-on-year basis stood at 16.96% in May 2026, which is a reduction compared with 24.55% recorded in May 2025.
This decrease is due to a change in the average prices of key food items like fresh onions, maize grains, melon (egusi), water yam, cassava flour, crayfish, fresh pepper, tomatoes, wheat grain, cassava tuber, yam tuber, sweet potatoes, ginger, plantain and cowpeas.
The average year-on-year food inflation for the 12 months ending May 2026 was 16.99%, a 16.22 percentage point decline compared with 33.21% recorded in May 2025.
Adamawa, Kwara, Rivers record the highest food inflation
NBS data indicate that food inflation varied substantially between states, with some regions facing higher inflationary pressure.
Year-on-year, Adamawa's food inflation was the highest at 29.62%, followed by Kwara at 28.47% and Rivers at 28.40%.
Other states with high food inflation included Enugu, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Delta, Ondo, and Benue.
Top 10 states with the highest food inflation rate
- Adamawa : 29.6%
- Kwara : 28.5%
- Rivers : 28.4%
- Enugu : 27.8%
- Bauchi : 25.4%
- Plateau : 24.8%
- Kaduna : 24.0%
- Delta : 23.8%
- Ondo : 23.1%
- Benue : 22.7%
Source: Getty Images
Borno records lowest food inflation
On the other hand, Borno recorded the lowest food inflation rate at -6.53%, signifying a decline in the average food prices compared with the year before.
Taraba and Bayelsa followed with the slowest increase in food prices at 1.13% and 5.99 percent respectively.
Top 10 states with the lowest food inflation rate
- Borno : -6.5%
- Taraba : 1.1%
- Bayelsa : 6.0%
- Nasarawa : 9.2%
- Niger : 9.8%
- Katsina : 10.6%
- Cross River : 11.6%
- Sokoto : 12.2%
- Ogun : 13.5%
- Akwa Ibom : 14.0%
Bauchi records highest monthly increase
On a month-on-month basis, Bauchi saw the highest increase in food inflation in May 2026 at 7.73%, followed by Ogun at 6.86% and Jigawa at 6.69%.
Niger, Katsina and Gombe saw the lowest increases, while Katsina and Gombe saw declines in the period.
The most recent data indicate that while food price pressure remains high in many parts of the country, the rate of inflation has slowed down compared to the earlier period.
FG updates list of banned import items
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government has released an updated list of prohibited imports, reinforcing its policy direction on protecting local industries and conserving foreign exchange, according to a directive from the Federal Ministry of Finance.
The revised schedule, dated April 1, 2026, outlines 17 categories of goods banned from entry through all Nigerian ports, with implications for importers, clearing agents, and consumers.
Source: Legit.ng
