Egusi Had a Terrible September. Rice Mostly Did Not

Egusi chose violence in September.

A big bag went from ₦370,000 to ₦480,000 in one month in a Lagos market survey published by Nairametrics.

That is a rise of ₦110,000 on the bag.

The strange part is that most of the food items the survey tracked moved the other way.

Most of the list actually got cheaper

Nairametrics tracked 67 staples across Mushin, Daleko, Mile 12 and Oyingbo markets.

In September:

36 items became cheaper.

16 became more expensive.

15 stayed the same.

That is a better-looking table than a month where nearly everything is climbing.

It is also a reminder that “food prices are falling” can sound completely wrong to somebody whose own list contains the exact things moving up.

Egusi was the loud one

The survey put a big bag of egusi at ₦370,000 in August and ₦480,000 in September.

The smaller quantities followed the same direction.

If your household cooks egusi once in a while, the wholesale bag is not what you buy. But wholesale movement does not stay politely inside the wholesale market.

Sellers buying at a higher price eventually have to decide what happens to the cup, paint bucket, derica or whatever unit your market uses.

That is where the increase reaches a normal kitchen.

Tomatoes and vegetable oil also moved up

Egusi was not alone.

The same survey recorded increases in tomatoes and vegetable oil among the items that became more expensive during September.

At the same time, many staples fell.

That split is why two people can return from the market in the same week with completely different stories about whether things are “better.”

One person bought the item that fell.

The other person bought soup ingredients that decided to form a union.

National inflation cannot cook your soup

The National Bureau of Statistics publishes the Consumer Price Index across a much larger basket and across the country.

Its August 2026 CPI resources are the latest official national release available before this story was prepared.

That number is useful for understanding the direction of prices broadly.

Your own food bill is much narrower.

If rice falls and egusi jumps, the effect on your house depends on what your house eats.

There is no national average inside your pot.

What to watch next

One month does not make a permanent trend.

Egusi can move again. Tomatoes definitely know how.

The useful thing about a market survey like this is not pretending it predicts next month. It is seeing where the pressure moved this month.

September was kinder to more of the 67 items than it was cruel to.

Egusi simply refused to participate.