Inflation Still Above 30% in 19 States, FCT
Headline inflation eased slightly to 15.91% in June 2026, down from 15.93% in May, but more than half of the country’s states still recorded annual inflation above 30%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The report showed that Niger (42.23%), Kogi (41.59%), and the FCT (39.91%) had the highest inflation rates, while Imo (19.47%), Ebonyi (20.79%), and Katsina (21.87%) posted the lowest.
In total, 19 states and the FCT—representing 54.1% of Nigeria’s sub-national entities—recorded inflation above 30%. Even Imo, the lowest, was still 3.56 percentage points higher than the national average.
Food inflation was particularly severe, with Kogi (53.02%), Niger (43.83%), and Benue (40.83%) leading. The FCT also recorded 40.20%, while Katsina had the lowest food inflation at 19.15%.
On a month-to-month basis, Niger (11.65%) posted the sharpest rise in headline inflation, while Bayelsa (-6.48%) recorded the steepest decline. For food inflation, Katsina (16.82%) saw the biggest monthly increase.
Dr. Muda Yusuf, CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, said the figures showed “broad stabilisation” in headline inflation but warned that food prices remain the biggest threat.
“Food inflation has resumed an upward trajectory after a brief period of moderation,” he noted.
Yusuf argued that Nigeria’s inflation challenge is structural rather than monetary, driven by insecurity, high transport costs, energy prices, fertiliser costs, supply chain disruptions, and imported inflation.
He added that further monetary tightening by the Central Bank was not justified, stressing that the priority should be structural reforms to boost food production, improve logistics, reduce energy costs, and strengthen productivity.
SOURCE: The PUNCH