Nigeria’s inflation slides a bit

According to the National Bureau of Statistics latest report, Nigeria’s headline inflation fell from 21.47 per cent in November 2022 to 21.34 per cent in December 2022.

The country’s inflation rate, in 2022 rose from January to November, before falling by 0.13 per cent to 21.34 per cent in December. The NBS explained that while headline inflation fell year-on-year, it increased from 1.39 per cent in November 2022 to 1.71 per cent in December 2023.

As per The Punch report, the statistics body consistently blamed the nation’s woe with inflation in 2022 on the rising cost of importation, currency depreciation, increases in the cost of production, and a foreign exchange crisis.

Commenting on the increase in month-on-month inflation, it said, “Basically, the likely factors responsible for increase in inflation rate in month-on-month can be attributed to the sharp increase in demand usually experienced during the festive season, increase in the cost of production e.g. increase in energy cost, transportation cost, exchange rate depreciation etc.”

Headline inflation in Nigeria rose from 15.60 per cent in January 2022 to 21.34 per cent in December 2022. In its ‘Consumer Price Index (December 2022),’ the NBS said, “In December 2022, the headline inflation rate eased to 21.34 per cent compared to November 2022 headline inflation rate which was 21.47 per cent.

“Looking at the trend, December 2022 inflation rate showed a decline of 0.13 per cent when compared to November 2022 inflation rate. However, on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 5.72 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in December 2021, which was (15.63 per cent).

“This shows that the headline inflation rate increased in the month of December 2022 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., December 2021). On a month-on-month basis, the percentage change in the All Items Index in December 2022 was 1.71 per cent, which was 0.32 per cent higher than the rate recorded in November 2022 (1.39 per cent).

“This means that in the month of December 2022, the general price level was 0.32 per cent higher relative to November 2022. The percentage change in the average CPI for the twelve months ending December 2022 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 18.85 per cent, showing 1.89 per cent increase compared to the 16.95 per cent recorded in December 2021.”

According to the NBS, food inflation rose to 23.75 per cent year-on-year in December 2022, 6.38 per cent higher than the rate recorded in December 2021 (17.37 per cent).

It explained that the rise in food inflation was driven by increases in prices of bread and cereals, oil and fat, pota-toes, yam and other tubers, fish, and food product. Inflation was highest in Bauchi (23.79 per cent), Kogi (23.35 per cent), Anambra (23.13 per cent), and lowest in Taraba (18.98 per cent), Osun (19.09 per cent), and Kwara (19.18 per cent).