Stakeholders have reacted positively to the January inflation figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which showed a decline in food inflation to 8.89 percent, a significant drop from the 29.63 percent recorded in January 2025. On a month-to-month basis, food inflation fell by 6.02 percent, compared to -0.36 percent in December 2025.
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) described the decline as a welcome relief, noting that prices of staple foods like rice, beans, garri, tomatoes, and vegetable oil have begun to ilise. Traders, civil servants, and small business owners reported eased household and business pressures as a result of the drop.
Despite the decline in food inflation, some Nigerians expressed concerns that other costs, including transportation, rent, fuel, and cooking gas, remain high and could continue to affect overall household budgets. Analysts attributed the decline to improved food supply, relative exce rate ility, harvest-season factors, and government interventions aimed at boosting agricultural production.
Economists and agricultural leaders, however, warned that without structural improvements in production, transportation, and security, food prices could rise again. Experts emphasised that sustainable food security requires addressing broader economic challenges, including energy costs and foreign exce pressures.
The NBS report also showed headline inflation decreased to 15.10 percent in January, slightly down from 15.15 percent in December 2025, marking one of the steepest declines in recent years.
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