Rising food prices have dampened the usual Easter shopping surge across major markets in Lagos and Enugu, as households grapple with shrinking purchasing power amid escalating costs of staples and perishables.

A survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at key Lagos markets, including Mile 12 and Oyingbo, showed sharp price increases in essential cooking ingredients within the past two weeks, forcing many consumers to scale back festive spending.

At Mile 12, a bag of scotch bonnet pepper (atarodo) now sells for N105, 000, up from N85, 000 during the Eid-el-Fitr period. A 25kg bag of bell pepper (tatashe) has doubled to N70, 000 from N35, 000, while chilli pepper (shombo) has climbed to N60,000 from N35,000.

Onion prices have risen to N84, 000 per 100kg bag from N71,000, and a 50kg basket of tomatoes now costs N40,000, up from N30,000. Traders attribute the surge largely to high transportation costs driven by expensive fuel.

Mile 12 Market spokesperson, Femi Odusanya, said global energy market disruptions and rising pump prices of petrol and diesel have significantly increased logistics expenses, pushing food prices higher.

“The cost of moving goods across the country has gone up sharply, and that is reflected in market prices,” he said, urging government intervention to cushion the impact on consumers.

Retailers say the effect on demand is evident. “Buyers now purchase in smaller quantities or just walk away after checking prices,” said Bose Adeyemi, a trader at Mile 12.