Away from the volatile beans and produce shelves, the oils and protein aisles at Ajah Market moved at a calmer pace through early 2026. Local palm oil sold for N10,200 for a 5 litre tin and N55,000 for a 25 litre tin in the week of March 16, while groundnut oil ran close behind at N10,800 for 5 litres and N54,000 for 25 litres. Branded vegetable oils sat higher, with a 5 litre tin of Kings recorded at N18,000 in early February and Power Oil at N7,000 for the same volume. Active palm oil showed the one sharp early move, with a 1 litre bottle doubling from N2,000 to N4,000 between the weeks of January 19 and January 26, though the 5 litre tin rose only from N11,000 to N12,000 over the same period.
The protein shelf was steadier still. A kilo of cow meat edged from N7,500 in the week of January 19 to N8,000 a week later, frozen chicken moved from N7,000 to N7,200, and a kilo of local mackerel went from N5,450 to N6,000. A pack of thirty eggs held at N6,000. None of these is a dramatic move, and together they suggest the animal-protein basket at Ajah was broadly stable while grains and vegetables did the work of pushing the food bill up.
The cooking oil prices sit on top of a firm global market. World Bank commodity data shows palm oil, the base for much of the oil sold in Nigeria, trading at multi-year highs through early 2026 on dry weather, firm demand and higher logistics costs. As the world's fifth largest palm oil producer Nigeria still imports refined cooking oil, so a costlier global barrel feeds into the tins on an Ajah shelf even when local palm oil holds.
The wider backdrop is a food basket still climbing. The National Bureau of Statistics reported food inflation at 16.06% year on year in April 2026, back above the headline rate for the first time in eight months.
Live readings sit on the Ajah Market real-time prices page.