Anthony Areh
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has released the data showing that inflation rate reduced in April by 0.05 per cent to 18.12 from 18.17 per cent recorded in March.
The NBS said this in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for April 2021 released on Monday in Abuja.
CPI measures the average change over time in prices of goods and services consumed by people for day-to-day living.
The report also said increases were recorded in all Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP) divisions that yielded the headline index.
“On month-on-month basis, the headline index increased by 0.97 per cent in April. This is 0.59 percentage points higher than the rate recorded in March (1.56 per cent)”, the report said.
The NBS said that the percentage change in the average composite CPI for the 12 months period ending in April over the average of the CPI for the previous 12 months period was 15.04 per cent.
This, it said, represented a 0.48 per cent increase over 14.55 per cent recorded in March.
The report said that the urban inflation rate increased by 18.68 per cent (year-on-year) in April, from 18.76 per cent recorded in March, while the rural inflation rate increased by 17.57 per cent in April from 17.60 per cent in March.
According to it, on a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 0.99 per cent in April, down by 0.61 per cent when compared to the rate recorded in March.
It however, said that the rural index also rose by 0.95 per cent in April, down by 0.57 per cent, compared to the 1.52 per cent rate recorded in March.
“The corresponding twelve-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index is 15.63 per cent in April.
“This is higher than 15.15 per cent reported in March, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in April is 14.48 per cent compared to 13.00 per cent recorded in March.”
The NBS said that composite food index rose by 22.72 per cent in April compared to 22.95 per cent in March.
It added that on month-on-month basis, the food sub-index increased by 0.99 per cent in April, down by 0.91 per cent from 1.90 per cent recorded in March.
It said that the rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of coffee, tea and cocoa, bread and cereals, soft drinks, milk, cheese and eggs, vegetables, meat oil and fats, fish and potatoes, yam and other tubers.
The data bureau said that ”All items less farm produce” or Core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce stood at 12.74 per cent in April, up by 0.07 per cent when compared with 12.67 per cent recorded in March.
It added that on month-on-month basis, the core sub-index increased by 0.99 per cent in April, down by 0.07 per cent when compared with 1.06 per cent recorded in March.
It, however, said that the highest increases were recorded in prices of pharmaceutical products, vehicle spare parts, hairdressing salons and personal grooming establishments, garments, furniture and furnishing, medical services, shoes and other footwear.
Others are motor cars, major household appliances whether electric or not, dental services, hospital services, non-durable household goods and fuel and lubricants for personal transport equipment.
For state profile, the NBS said that in April, all items inflation on year on year basis was highest in Kogi at 24.33 per cent, Bauchi 22.93 per cent and Sokoto at 20.96 per cent.
Meanwhile, Abia at 15.94 per cent, Kwara 15.70 per cent and Katsina at 15.58 per cent recorded the slowest rise in headline year on year inflation.
On month on month basis however, in April, all items inflation was highest in Kebbi at 2.24 per cent, Cross River at 1.99 per cent and Jigawa at 1.78 per cent.
Meanwhile Ebonyi state at 0.12 per cent recorded the slowest rise in headline inflation month on month with Rivers and Ogun recording price deflation or negative inflation.
For food inflation on a year on year basis, in April, it was highest in Kogi at 30.52 per cent, Ebonyi 28.07 per cent and Sokoto 26.90 per cent, while Abuja at 18.63 per cent, Akwa Ibom 18.51 per cent and Bauchi at 17.64 per cent recorded the slowest rise in year on year inflation.
On month on month basis however, April food inflation was highest in Kebbi at 2.46 per cent, Ekiti 2.42 per cent and Kano 2.17 per cent.
Meanwhile Abuja at 0.05 per cent recorded the slowest rise in month on month food inflation with Rivers and Ogun recording price deflation or negative inflation.
