…Food prices remain high
By Douglas Maha, Abuja
Nigeria’s inflation rate continued its slow retreat in January 2026, with new official figures showing another slight drop in the pace of price increases nationwide.
Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) puts headline inflation at 15.10% in January 2026, down from 15.15% in December 2025, extending the recent cooling trend.
The month-to-month decline is modest — just 0.05 percentage points — but it signals that the surge in consumer prices that weighed heavily on households through much of last year is gradually losing steam.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index report, the most recent inflation path now reads:
January 2026 — 15.10%
December 2025 — 15.15%
January 2025 — 27.61%
The year-on-year comparison shows the sharpest shift. Inflation has fallen by 12.51 percentage points compared to January last year, when soaring food prices, currency pressures, fuel costs and transport fares drove a cost-of-living squeeze across the country.
Through 2024 and early 2025, inflation climbed to multi-year highs, forcing families to cut spending and businesses to adjust prices repeatedly. The latest figures suggest the pressure curve is bending downward, even if slowly.
Analysts say the steady moderation is encouraging but warn that food supply shocks, exchange-rate swings and energy costs could still disrupt the easing pattern if not carefully managed.
