Economy

Prices of Oil, Foodstuffs Escalate as Border Closure Bites Harder

Published

6 years ago

27/01/2020

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s inflation rose to 11.98 percent in December 2019, driven by increases recorded in food prices as a result of the border closure. Not too long ago, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a report on selected food price watch for the month.

From the report, Business Post gathered that rice, one of the major commodities consumed in the country, which was once of the reasons for the closure of the land borders due to smuggling into Nigeria, recorded a 3.2 percent increase in price from N445 (per kg) in November 2019 to N460 in December, while it saw a 24.1 percent increase year-on-year.

It was stated that the locally produced variant equally recorded an increase of 0.84 percent month-on-month to N382/kg from N379/kg recorded in the previous month, while there was 20 percent rise year-on-year.

Titus frozen fish, according to the stats office, increased in the period under review by 0.6 percent to N981 per kilo, which showed a year-on-year increase of 5.9 percent. Also, mackerel fish went up by 0.2 percent to N953 per kg, while year-on-year, prices rose 2.0 percent.

For tomato, there was an increase by 5.1 percent to N264 per kg in December compared to N251/kg in November 2019, while on a year-to-year basis, it went down by 2.8 percent.

At the dairy session, with the country’s restriction on frozen birds from neighbouring countries, the price of frozen chicken dropped by 0.64 percent in the month of December to N1996 per kg, despite a 22.8 percent year-on-year increase. Chicken feet recorded a 1.80 percent rise to N699 per kg on average while it saw a 5.3 decrease in price in the same period of 2018. The price of chicken wings also rose by 2.5 percent in December to N916 per kg, while on a year-on-year, it dropped by 3.0 percent.

The average price of one dozen of Agric eggs medium size decreased month-on month by 1.32 percent to N457.80 in December 2019 from N463.91 in November and year-on-year by 1.96 percent, while the average price of piece of Agric eggs medium size (price of one) decreased year-on-year by 4.37 percent and month-on-month by 1.13 percent to N40.72 in December 2019 from N41.18 in November 2019.

Brown beans dropped 2.5 percent month-on-month to N299 per kilo and on year-on-year basis, it decreased by 23 percent in price, while white beans dropped by 1.1 percent to N281 per kg and 18.3 percent year-on-year.

The price of beef – with bones rose in the month of December by 1.91 percent to N1,046, and by 4.8 percent year-on-year, while the boneless variety dropped by 0.04 percent in December to N1293 per kg, but recorded a 1.71 percent increase year-on-year.

For the price of white gaari at the market, it dropped by 0.41 percent in December to average of N159 per kg, which is a 4.4 percent year-on-year decrease, while on the other hand, the yellow gaari increased by 1.1 percent to N183 per kg in December, but dropped 6.5 percent year-on-year.

Yam recorded a 1.8 percent rise to average N207 per kilo month-on-month in December 2019 and 2.7 percent year-on-year.

The price of groundnut oil rose by 0.07 percent month-on-month in December to N580 for a litre, while it dropped 0.87 percent year-on-year. Also, the price of vegetable oil rose by 0.7 percent in December to N516 per litre and increased by 1.67 percent year-on-year. For the price of palm oil, it increased by 0.5 percent month-on-month to N469, but decreased by 1.1 percent year-on-year.

Economy

Customs Street Chalks up 0.12% on Santa Claus Rally

Published

3 hours ago

25/12/2025

Dipo Olowookere

By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited witnessed Santa Claus rally on Wednesday after it closed higher by 0.12 per cent.

Strong demand for Nigerian stocks lifted the All-Share Index (ASI) by 185.70 points during the pre-Christmas trading session to 153,539.83 points from 153,354.13 points.

In the same vein, the market capitalisation expanded at midweek by N118 billion to N97.890 trillion from the preceding day’s N97.772 trillion.

Investor sentiment on Customs Street remained bullish after closing with 36 appreciating equities and 22 depreciating equities, indicating a positive market breadth index.

Guinness Nigeria chalked up 9.98 per cent to trade at N318.60, Austin Laz improved by 9.97 per cent to N3.20, International Breweries expanded by 9.85 per cent to N14.50, Transcorp Hotels rose by 9.83 per cent to N170.90, and Aluminium Extrusion grew by 9.73 per cent to N16.35.

On the flip side, Legend Internet lost 9.26 per cent to close at N4.90, AXA Mansard shrank by 7.14 per cent to N13.00, Jaiz Bank declined by 5.45 per cent to N4.51, MTN Nigeria weakened by 5.21 per cent to N504.00, and NEM Insurance crashed by 4.74 per cent to N24.10.

Yesterday, a total of 1.8 billion shares valued at N30.1 billion exchanged hands in 19,372 deals versus the 677.4 billion shares worth N20.8 billion traded in 27,589 deals in the previous session, implying a slump in the number of deals by 29.78 per cent, and a surge in the trading volume and value by 165.72 per cent and 44.71 per cent apiece.

Abbey Mortgage Bank was the most active equity for the day after it sold 1.1 billion units worth N7.1 billion, Sterling Holdings traded 127.1 million units valued at N895.9 million, Custodian Investment exchanged 115.0 million units for N4.5 billion, First Holdco transacted 40.9 million units valued at N2.2 billion, and Access Holdings traded 38.2 million units worth N783.3 million.

Economy

Yuletide: Rite Foods Reiterates Commitment to Quality, Innovation

Published

4 hours ago

25/12/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigerian food and beverage company, Rite Foods Limited, has extended warm Yuletide greetings to Nigerians as families and communities worldwide come together to celebrate the Christmas season and usher in a new year filled with hope and renewed possibilities.

In a statement, Rite Foods encouraged consumers to savour these special occasions with its wide range of quality brands, including the 13 variants of Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks, premium Bigi Table Water, Sosa Fruit Drink in its refreshing flavours, the Fearless Energy Drink, and its tasty sausage rolls — all produced in a world-class facility with modern technology and global best practices.

Speaking on the season, the Managing Director of Rite Foods Limited, Mr Seleem Adegunwa, said the company remains deeply committed to enriching the lives of consumers beyond refreshment. According to him, the Yuletide period underscores the values of generosity, unity, and gratitude, which resonate strongly with the company’s philosophy.

“Christmas is a season that reminds us of the importance of giving, togetherness, and gratitude. At Rite Foods, we are thankful for the continued trust of Nigerians in our brands. This season strengthens our resolve to consistently deliver quality products that bring joy to everyday moments while contributing positively to society,” Mr Adegunwa stated.

He noted that the company’s steady progress in brand acceptance, operational excellence, and responsible business practices reflects a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and responsiveness to consumer needs. These efforts, he said, have further strengthened Rite Foods’ position as a proudly Nigerian brand with growing relevance and impact across the country.

Mr Adegunwa reaffirmed that Rite Foods will continue to invest in research and development, efficient production processes, and initiatives that support communities, while maintaining quality standards across its product portfolio.

“As the year comes to a close, Rite Foods Limited wishes Nigerians a joyful Christmas celebration and a prosperous New Year filled with peace, progress, and shared success.”

Economy

Naira Appreciates to N1,443/$1 at Official FX Market

Published

4 hours ago

25/12/2025

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira closed the pre-Christmas trading day positive after it gained N6.61 or 0.46 per cent against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) on Wednesday, December 24, trading at N1,443.38/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,449.99/$1.

Equally, the Naira appreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment by N1.30 to close at N1,949.57/£1 versus Tuesday’s closing price of N1,956.03/£1 and gained N2.94 on the Euro to finish at N1,701.31/€1 compared with the preceding day’s N1,707.65/€1.

At the parallel market, the local currency maintained stability against the greenback yesterday at N1,485/$1 and also traded flat at the GTBank forex counter at N1,465/$1.

Further support came as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) funded international payments with additional $150 million sales to banks and authorised dealers at the official window.

This helped eased pressure on the local currency, reflecting a steep increase in imports. Market participants saw a sequence of exchange rate swings amidst limited FX inflows.

Last week, the apex bank led the pack in terms of FX supply into the market as total inflows fell by about 50 per cent week on week from $1.46 billion in the previous week.

Foreign portfolio investors’ inflows ranked behind exporters and the CBN supply, but there was support from non-bank corporate Dollar volume.

As for the cryptocurrency market, it witnessed a slight recovery as tokens struggled to attract either risk-on enthusiasm or defensive flows.

The inertia follows a sharp reversal earlier in the quarter. A heavy selloff in October pulled Bitcoin and other coins down from record levels, leaving BTC roughly down by 30 per cent since that period and on track for its weakest quarterly performance since the second quarter of 2022. But on Wednesday, its value went up by 0.9 per cent to $87,727.35.

Further, Ripple (XRP) appreciated by 1.7 per cent to $1.87, Cardano (ADA) expanded by 1.2 per cent to $0.3602, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 1.1 per cent to $0.1282, Litecoin (LTC) also increased by 1.1 per cent to $76.57, Solana (SOL) soared by 1.0 per cent to $122.31, Binance Coin (BNB) rose by 0.6 per cent to $842.37, and Ethereum (ETH) added 0.3 per cent to finish at $2,938.83, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.