Abati Questions Inflation Drop, Says Cost Of Living Still Too High

Veteran journalist and former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has said the reported decline in Nigeria’s inflation rate has yet to ease the cost of living for ordinary Nigerians.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, Abati questioned the credibility of the 15.15 per cent inflation figure announced by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for December, suggesting it was influenced by changes in the rebasing methodology.

THE WHISTLER reports that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate fell to 15.15 per cent in December 2025, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday.

The bureau said the decline followed a rebasing of the inflation calculation, noting that the rate was significantly lower than the 34.8 per cent recorded in December 2024. On a month-on-month basis, inflation slowed to 0.54 per cent from 1.22 per cent in November.

The NBS also reported that food inflation declined to 10.84 per cent year-on-year in December 2025, compared to 39.84 per cent in the same period last year, attributing the drop to falling prices of staple food items such as tomatoes, garri, eggs and vegetables.

However, Abati argued that while authorities and international partners such as the International Monetary Fund, IMF, says that the new inflation measurement would deliver tangible benefits to Nigerians, such outcomes are yet to be seen.

“Well, inflation has been going down according to the Bureau of Statistics, consecutively. We have not yet seen the effect of the evidence in terms of the cost of living.” Abati stated.

He said economists often argue that inflation data takes time to affect living conditions, but maintained that the delay has been too long.

“The Economists, those who know the subjects, they say, okay, it takes time. It’s taking too long a time. When we begin to see the effect and food inflation comes down, that’s when we believe that this CPI is having an effect. That’s why I think the Manufacturers Association is also very concerned,” he stated.