Several West African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Gambia, compete over who makes the best jollof rice. However, in Nigeria, this staple is becoming a luxury due to soaring inflation and slow government support.
Last month, SBM Intelligence released its latest SBM Jollof Index. The report titled “Staple Under Stress” tracked food costs from September 2024 to March 2025, revealing that the cost of cooking one pot of jollof rice in Nigeria rose to ₦25,486 from ₦21,300, marking a 19 percent increase. Prices for essential ingredients like rice, onions, tomatoes, and peppers have surged.
According to news and academic reports, Nigeria is experiencing its worst cost-of-living crisis in nearly three decades. PricewaterhouseCoopers warned in its January 2025 Nigeria Budget and Economic Outlook that inflation combined with inadequate social protection could push up to 13 million Nigerians into poverty this year.
The recovery from economic challenges triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic has been hampered by poor policy decisions. One such decision was the removal of a fuel consumption subsidy in 2023 without sufficient compensatory measures.
While moving away from fossil fuel subsidies is critical for governments to promote renewable energy transition, it is equally important that they implement adequate compensatory measures allowing low-income households access to essentials such as power and transport.
Nigeria lacks a comprehensive social security system guaranteeing income support throughout a person’s lifetime. As of 2022, only 14.8 percent of the population had access to at least one social protection benefit.
In October 2023, the government announced a ₦25,000 monthly cash transfer for three months to help cushion inflation’s impact on 15 million households. However, only about 5 million households have received payments so far. A government official told Human Rights Watch that implementation has been slow due to efforts to “improve accountability” by linking the National Social Registry with the National Identification Number system.
Such programs are often costly to administer and prone to high exclusion errors. They also tend to burden beneficiaries with bureaucratic hurdles and stigmatization.
Authorities should consider building a universal rights-aligned social security system backed by clear strategies and progressive funding for comprehensive support delivery.
Only then can staples like jollof rice remain accessible not just to a privileged few but enjoyed by all.
