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Nigerian inflation drops for first time in 15 months

By Editor
14 March 2017   |   12:37 pm
Nigerian inflation slowed for the first time in 15 months to 17.78 percent in February, driven by lower energy and utility prices, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.

Nigerian inflation slowed for the first time in 15 months to 17.78 percent in February, driven by lower energy and utility prices, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.

The cost of living in Africa’s most populous nation began rising in November 2015, when inflation increased slightly to 9.37 percent from 9.3 percent a month earlier. It had risen steadily since then, peaking at 18.7 percent in January this year.

“This represents the first time in 15 months that the headline CPI (consumer price index) has declined on year-on-year basis representing the effects of slower rises in already high food and non-food prices and favourable base effects over 2016 prices,” the NBS said.

Food prices, however, were up 18.5 percent year-on-year in February, a 0.74 points increase on the previous month because of increased costs of bread, cereals, meat, fish, yam and potatoes.

Analysts said inflation would continue to fall because of the decision of the central bank to make available more US dollars to the foreign exchange market.

“Recent currency appreciation will probably cut inflation in March,” the Capital Economics consultancy said in an email after the announcement.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria began intervening in the FX market in late February by selling over $1.5 billion worth of foreign currency.

“This intervention has caused the naira to strengthen sharply on the widely-used parallel market, on which it jumped from about N500/US$ to around N450/US$ where it remains today.

“Indeed, we expect that inflation will continue to slow over the coming months as the effects of last year’s depreciation wash out of the annual comparison.

“Even if the currency is devalued this year, which remains our key view, we expect that this will happen in steps and that the falls will not be as significant as they were last year.”

Oil-dependent Nigeria plunged into recession in August last year after months of being battered by low global crude prices and militant attacks on energy infrastructure in the oil-rich south.

That slashed government revenue from oil export sales and sent inflation soaring.

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5 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    WHERE? In IMF and WB terms!!! In western economic theory terms!!! If it is true, it is because the missing demands are those of dead people whose death was caused by the inflation. I am certain that supply will be adjusted to create another inflation..

  • Author’s gravatar

    Disqus,
    Sad to say that it appears that my contribution has not been posted to my dismay. You may wish to correct this as my only intention was and remains, to encourage our people to be charitable towards one another without expecting any gains.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Please post the email of the guardian news editor so I can send him/her my contribution that you opposed to posting in this medium. It is very silly censorship.

  • Author’s gravatar

    Stop the noise. CIA does not want electricity in Nigeria. CIA wants chaos in Nigeria. CIA will sabotage everything like they did with the Ajaokuta steel plant. The CIA has power…. Central Intelligence Agency who have so many Nigerians on their payroll. Chief Clark in the Niger Delta works for the CIA. So does El Rufai, So does Ribadu. The Nigerian Senate and house of assembly is full of CIA agents. Nigerians are foolish people. They have CIA everywhere and think they can progress….

    • Author’s gravatar

      Wetin concern CIA and Nigeria’s inflation? There are CIA agents in every country including those countries with flourishing economies. Na CIA tell your politicians to steal, ask Fulani herdsmen to terrorize Nigeria, ask kidnappers to terrorize their neighbors? Na CIA also tell Suleiman to yab? Next time you don’t get that job, promotion or pass that test, blame CIA also.

  • Author’s gravatar

    …Stop the noise. CIA does not want electricity in Nigeria. CIA wants chaos in Nigeria. CIA will sabotage everything like they did with the Ajaokuta steel plant. The CIA has power…. Central Intelligence Agency who have so many Nigerians on their payroll. Chief Clark in the Niger Delta works for the CIA. So does El Rufai, So does Ribadu. The Nigerian Senate and house of assembly is full of CIA agents. Nigerians are foolish people. They have CIA everywhere and think they can progress..