Nigerians Reel As Weekly Food Commodities See Dramatic Price Swings

Checks by our correspondent on Sunday revealed that other essential items, including spaghetti, cooking oil, tomatoes, pepper, garri, and ponmo, have also experienced sharp price increases, adding further strain to family budgets.

A survey of major markets showed:

• Bag of rice: ₦60,000

• Paint bucket of beans: ₦4,500

• Pack of spaghetti: ₦18,700

• One litre of cooking oil: ₦3,500

• Small basket of tomatoes: ₦3,500

• Small basket of pepper: ₦1,200

• Paint bucket of garri: ₦1,200

• Ten pieces of dry ponmo: ₦2,000

Traders attributed the surge to rising transportation costs, inflation, and the high cost of imported goods.

In response, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, instructed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee on food security to expedite measures aimed at curbing the high cost of food across the country.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, confirmed the directive during a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents in Abuja. According to Abdullahi, the President’s directive focuses on ensuring the secure and efficient transportation of farm produce nationwide to reduce logistics costs, a key factor driving food inflation.