By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Nigeria’s food inflation rate continues to climb year-on-year in May according to data obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
NBS said the food inflation rate reached 40.66 percent in May, compared to the 24.82 percent reported in the same month in 2023.
This represents a jump of 15.84 percentage points.
In May, Kogi, Ekiti, and Kwara states experienced the highest rise in food inflation rate year-on-year, reaching 46.32 percent, 44.94 percent, and 44.66 percent, respectively.
Conversely, Adamawa, Bauchi, and Borno states saw the slowest increase in the food inflation rate, with 31.72 percent, 34.35 percent, and 34.74 percent, respectively.
The bureau said foodstuffs like semovita, oat flakes, yam flour prepackage, garri, and beans contributed to the year-on-year increase in the food inflation rate.
Other contributors are Irish potatoes, yam, water yam, palm oil, vegetable oil, stockfish, mudfish, crayfish, beef head, live chicken, pork head, bush meat, etc.
This rising food inflation rate has continued to cause significant concern across the country.
It is one of the factors that led to the two-day strike by organised labour on June 3, demanding an increase in the national minimum wage as Nigerians struggle to afford basic food items.
TheCable Index analysis of the report highlights disparities in food inflation rates across states and the federal capital territory (FCT).
LIST OF FOOD INFLATION RATES ACROSS STATES, FCT IN MAY
Kogi: 46.32%
Ekiti: 44.94%
Kwara: 44.66%
Osun: 44.57%
Edo: 44.46%
Enugu: 44.42%
Imo: 44.32%
Cross River: 44.24%
Abia: 44.02%
Akwa Ibom: 43.83%
Gombe: 43.73%
Oyo: 43.26%
Ebonyi: 43.23%
Lagos: 43.02%
Jigawa: 42.56%
Bayelsa: 42.29%
Sokoto: 41.69%
Rivers: 41.61%
Ondo: 41.30%
Ogun: 41.26%
Kaduna: 41.00%
Kano: 39.96%
Niger: 39.92%
Delta: 39.35%
Plateau: 39.16%
Anambra: 38.96%
Zamfara: 38.93%
Kebbi: 38.51%
Abuja: 38.38%
Nassarawa: 37.70%
Benue: 37.64%
Katsina: 37.54%
Yobe: 37.44%
Taraba: 36.06%
Borno: 34.74%
Bauchi: 34.35%
Adamawa: 31.72%
{The Cable News}