Muyiwa Oladimeji, a storekeeper in a factory at Ikorodu, said food now takes 80 percent of his monthly disposable income, which has already been eroded by inflation.

“Food is life and we cannot afford not to eat, no matter the price,” he said. “Life in Nigeria is now characterised by the struggle to afford necessities such as food.”

He said his daily goal is to put food on the table for his family of four before thinking of incurring any other costs.

A 2023 data compiled by Picodi, an international e-commerce organisation, stated that Nigerian households spend 59 percent of their income on food, the highest globally.

Buoyed by rising food costs, Nigeria’s inflation rate quickened to 29.97 percent in January, eroding incomes and savings, and amplifying a cost of living crisis. Also, food inflation accelerated to 35.41 percent in January 2024 from 24.32 percent a year earlier, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.