Business
Experts Attribute Inflation Rise To Border Closure
Financial experts have attributed the rise in inflation rate to border closure and the new minimum wage.
They stated this in separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos, in reaction to September inflation figure released by the National Bureau on Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by NBS shows that inflationary pressure resurfaced in September, as the headline inflation widened by 0.22 basis points to 11.24 per cent from 11.02 per cent in August.
The inflation figure, according to NBS, is the highest since May 2019.
A Professor of Economics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun, Sheriffdeen Tella said that the rise in inflation was not a surprise due to the border closure that led to increase in prices of food.
Tella said that the closure of the borders resulted in initial increase in price of rice, a major staple food in the country
“We should not be surprised with the rise in inflation rate. “The closure of the borders resulted in initial increase in price of rice, a staple food, and subsequent increase in other food items,” he said.
Tella also said that the announced take-off of the new minimum wage increase also contributed to increase in prices of goods with services, and attendant hike in inflation rate.
He however, described government’s closure of land border as a welcome development, saying that it would lead to increased local production of goods.
“I support the border closure, so long as it can be sustained and force increased production of goods locally.
“The initial pain is what we are suffering, but in the medium term, we will witness increase in local production and subsequent fall in prices of goods like rice and other annual products,” Tella said.
He said that the current high price of local rice was due to hoarding of available imported rice to avoid being seized by the Customs and the inability to meet up with local demand.
According to him, the price will soon reduce because the policy will force many farmers to plant more rice.
“Our taste buds will soon be changed to consuming local rice as it is currently with for imported rice and other imported food items.
“Customs should prevent smuggling of rice out of the country, particularly through the northern states’ borders,” Tella said.
The Chief Operating Officer, Invest Data Ltd., Mr Ambrose Omordion said the inflation figure hike was traceable to closure of border without adequate preparation.
Omordion said that insecurity in the country had also contributed to inflation rise within the period, as less farmers were in the farm.
He said that the Federal Government needed to address the security challenges to stem inflation in the remaining months of 2019.
Omordion, who said that the closure of land borders was a welcome development, however, said that its implementation was wrongly timed.
He said that the Federal Government should have worked with farmers to ensure adequate supply and storage of locally-made goods, to mitigate artificial price increase.
Omordion said that some domestic producers would take advantage of the policy to hike prices due to high demand.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor