The African Democratic Congress (ADC) claims that the federal government is misleading Nigerians by saying that food prices have dropped across the country.
In a statement on October 27, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC national publicity secretary, said the reported drop in the prices of some food items is artificial.
“It is a result of import waivers that have flooded the market with cheap foreign food. This is neither evidence of sound policy nor proof of increased local production,” the party said.
The claim has stirred debate online, with many Nigerians questioning whether the recent moderation in food inflation reflects genuine improvement or temporary relief.
VERIFICATION
On July 10, 2024, the federal government officially announced the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on the importation of food items to combat high prices.
According to Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture and food security, the measure was a 150-day duty-free import window for food commodities, including maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpea.
To verify the claim, CableCheck reviewed data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Nigeria Food Price Tracking (NFPT) between January and September 2025.
According to the NBS, the food inflation rate dropped from 26.1 percent in January 2025 to 16.87 percent in September
The September 2025 NBS Food Price Watch reported a decline in the average prices of key staples such as rice, beans, soybeans, yams, maize, garri, and sorghum compared to the rates in January.
Data shows that both food items that qualified for import waivers and those that did not qualify recorded a decline in prices.
The price of a kilogram of imported rice dropped slightly from N2,452 in January to N2,396 in September, while a kilogram of local rice, which cost N2,115 in January, fell to N1,781 in September.
The price movement of other prices is shown in the table below.
| Food Items | Waiver | Average price in January | Average price in September | Percentage change |
| Imported rice | Yes | 2,452 | 2,396 | -2.28% |
| Brown beans | No | 2,232 | 1,864 | -16.51% |
| White beans | No | 2,131 | 1,802 | -15.44% |
| Local rice | Yes | 2,115 | 1,781 | -15.76% |
| Yam | No | 1,695 | 1,693 | -0.08% |
| Soyabean | No | 1,591 | 1,545 | -2.91% |
| Sorghum | No | 1,324 | 1,091 | -17.63% |
| Maize (Yellow) | Yes | 1,288 | 1,069 | -17.01% |
| Maize (White) | Yes | 1,148 | 1,045 | -8.98% |
| Garri | No | 915 | 829 | -9.42% |
A table showing the movement in the prices of food items. Source: NBS Food Price Watch
Speaking with TheCable, Muda Yusuf, chief executive officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), attributed the recent drop in food prices to increased investments in agricultural production by both the federal and state governments, particularly in water resource management and irrigation projects across northern Nigeria.
He explained that despite persistent concerns over insecurity, agricultural productivity has risen notably in recent months.
“When the price of goods increases, supply tends to follow,” he said, noting that the surge in food prices over the past year has spurred a wave of investment into farming and related ventures.
According to him, government interventions have also played a role.
“Although the waivers on rice and maize imports granted last year contributed to the decline, they should not overshadow the genuine improvements in price stability,” he said.
Yusuf added that a similar price fall could be observed across other staple foods such as garri, beans, and onions.
He further noted that even some manufactured goods have recorded modest price declines, attributing this trend to a more stable exchange rate and a gradual strengthening of the naira.
CLAIM 2
The ADC questioned the government’s claim of increased agricultural production in the face of insecurity and the increased cost of planting.
“How can production be increasing when the rural economy is under siege by bandits, and the costs of planting are now beyond the reach of the average farmer?” ADC questioned.
ADC also said the reduced prices of food items are “neither evidence of sound policy nor proof of increased local production”.
VERIFICATION
CableCheck reviewed data from the NBS on the economic performance of the agriculture sector, especially in crop production.
The gross domestic product (GDP) measures the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country’s borders during a specific period.
According to the NBS GDP report published for the second quarter of 2025, the agriculture sector has recorded five consecutive quarters of positive growth, up from the negative economic growth in the first quarter of 2024.
Agriculture GDP:
Q3: 2023: 1.30%
Q4: 2023: 2.10%
Q1 2024: -1.79%
Q2 2024: 2.60%
Q3 2024: 2.55%
Q4 2024: 2.54%
Q1 2025: 0.07%
Q2 2025: 2.82%
The economic growth rate of the crop production segment of the agriculture sector has fluctuated since the first quarter of 2024.
Crop production GDP:
Q2 2023: 1.82%
Q3 2023: 1.35%
Q4 2023: 2.44%
Q1 2024: 3.68%
Q2 2024: 3.22%
Q3 2024: 2.37%
Q4 2024: 2.75%
Q1 2025: 3.71%
Q2 2025: 3.32%
VERDICT
Available data shows that prices of some food items have fallen significantly in recent months.
The ADC’s assertion that the drop is artificial and driven by import waivers rather than local production is not supported by publicly available data.
