As Lagosians hurry to complete their holiday shopping, the cost of staple products like rice, tomatoes, cooking oil, crabs, and chicken continues to rise beyond the means of the majority.
According to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, inflation in Nigeria rose to 21.47 percent in November, the highest level in 17 years, well surpassing wage increases.
The last week of November saw a gradual rise in food costs, but December saw a considerable rise, with prices rising even more on Christmas Eve.
Regular inspections by Prime9jaOnline at markets in Ogba and Ibafo, as well as other retail establishments in Ikeja, revealed that prices for rice, chicken, and other basic foods had gone up even more as Lagosians hurried to complete their last-minute holiday shopping.
At the Sunday Market in Ogba on Saturday, a 50 kg bag of imported rice went for between N50,000 and N57,000, up from the N45,000 to N48,000 it fetched earlier in the month.
Mrs Agha, a rice vendor at the market, told Prime9jaOnline that the surge in demand that often occurs during the holiday season and the difficulties in obtaining the product from wholesalers were the causes of the price hike that occurred at the last minute.
“You know the last-minute rush is always something else, everyone is trying to make Christmas purchases and what we got from our suppliers are limited because of the many retailers have placed orders for bags of rice,” she explained.
A 50 kilogramme bag of rice cost between N53,000 and N56,500 in Mrs. Agha's shop, depending on the brand of rice one wanted to purchase.
When Prime9jaOnline checked on Saturday, a 50 kilogramme bag of imported rice was still selling at Ibafo market for between N47,000 and N52,000.
In addition, the cost of pepper increased significantly from what it sold for the previous year.
A basket of pepper now costs between N28,000 and N30,000, compared to the N13,000 to N15,000 it used to cost at Ibafo.
Mama Ezekiel, an Ibafo pepper vendor who talked with Prime9jaOnline, attributed the price rise to the expense of transportation and the holiday season.
A basket of "rodo" pepper, which cost N5,000 two months before and N3,000 the year before, was allegedly now N28,000 instead.
“You know of the fuel scarcity and how much filling station has been selling litres of fuel, these had affected the price we spend on transporting pepper from where we get them down to our stores so when we add money is to make up for the high cost of transport that is caused as a result of the fuel scarcity,” she said.
Speaking to Prime9jaOnline, a customer at the Ibafo market, lamented the high cost of pepper, noting that she got lesser quantity, compared to the one she got when she visited the market earlier in the week to get N5,000 worth of pepper.
“The quantity I got today is so small, I know what I got when I bought N5,000 pepper on Monday evening,” she told Prime9jaOnline.
Life chicken was selling for N15,000 minimum price at Sunday market, Ogba, compared to earlier in the week where one could conveniently get a Christmas chicken for as low as N10,000
However, traders have tied the increase to the high cost of chicken feed.