The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has announced the successful rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to better reflect Nigeria’s current economic realities.
According to the Bureau, the exercise aligns both price and weight reference periods with prevailing market conditions while updating the basket of goods and services that drive inflation measurement in the country.
NBS, through the update which NEWSNGR obtained via the website on Monday, explained that consumption patterns evolve over time, making periodic updates to the CPI basket necessary. As part of the rebasing, new items have been added, and the weighting of existing items has been adjusted to mirror how households currently spend their income.
These changes also mean that the prices of some items may no longer be directly comparable with earlier versions of the CPI series, NBS explained.
It said a clear example of these adjustments is the reclassification of agricultural hen eggs. While the previous CPI basket priced eggs by the dozen, the updated basket now captures the cost of a crate containing 30 pieces.
The Bureau noted that such changes ensure a more accurate reflection of market behaviour and consumer preferences.
It pointed out that insights from the September 2025 Selected Food Price Watch report show mixed movements in staple food prices across the country. The average price of 1kg of local rice rose to N1,952.94, marking a 1.99 per cent increase compared to September 2024.
Despite this year-on-year rise, the NBS said the commodity experienced a slight 0.56 per cent decline when compared to August 2025.
According to the bureau, other major staples recorded significant decreases. The average price of brown beans (1kg) dropped sharply to ₦1,815.76, representing a dramatic 33.70 per cent fall compared to the ₦2,738.59 recorded in September 2024. Month-on-month, the price also slipped by 1.74 per cent.
It said Garri White (1kg) also experienced a notable decline, falling by 25.51 per cent year-on-year from ₦1,170.25 in September 2024 to ₦871.78 in September 2025.
On a monthly basis, it noted the price decreased by 6.52 per cent compared to the previous month. Similarly, the average price of loose white maize grain dropped by 16.57 per cent year-on-year to ₦888.68 and by 6.56 per cent month-on-month.
NBS said state-level Enugu recorded the highest average price for local rice at N2,385.73, while Lagos posted the lowest at N1,648.83. For brown beans, Enugu again had the highest price at N2,337.58, with Yobe State reporting the lowest average of N1,223.42.
Further breakdown showed that Ebonyi State recorded the highest price for Garri White at N1,297.22, whereas Taraba reported the lowest at N450.
In the case of white maize grains, Imo State had the highest average price at N1,488.50, while Yobe recorded the lowest at N547.84, reinforcing the geographical variations in food cost.
Regional analysis also highlighted significant price gaps. The North-Central zone posted the highest average price for local rice at N2,031.33, closely followed by the South-East at N2,029.48.
The South-South recorded the lowest average at N1,838.24. For brown beans, the Southeast and Southwest zones led with N2,241.48 and N2,082.52, respectively, while the Northwest posted the lowest price at N1,397.97. The South-East also topped the list for Garri White, averaging ₦1,223.77 compared to ₦640.68 in the North-Central.
The NBS emphasised that the robustness of the CPI data stems from its extensive fieldwork process. Over 700 trained staff collect prices across all 36 states and the FCT, covering all 774 local government areas and more than 10,000 respondents and locations nationwide. This ensures that the index reflects real and diverse market conditions.
The average of all these prices is reported for each state, and the total average for the state is the average for the country. To ensure accuracy and credibility, prices collected from the field are subjected to verification by NBS audit teams.
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