The pepper and vegetable shelf at Lekki-Jakande Market firmed through the first quarter of 2026 while tomatoes held their ground. A paint bucket of tatashe rose from N3,000 in the week of February 2 to N4,000 by the week of March 16, a climb of 33.3%, and a paint of rodo pepper moved from N3,500 to N4,000 over the same weeks, up 14.3%. Local shombo tracked the same path, from N3,000 to N4,000. A paint bucket of tomatoes, by contrast, stayed flat at N4,000 across the period, and local okro was captured at N4,600 a paint.
The split is informative. The pepper family rose together while tomatoes held, which points to supply pressure concentrated on the pepper and tatashe side rather than a blanket vegetable squeeze. For a household, the practical effect is that the stew base built on pepper and tatashe became dearer while the tomato component stayed put.
The trade bodies have pinned vegetable price pressure on transport and input costs rather than outright scarcity. The tomato growers told Vanguard that the real driver was the cost of moving produce and farming it, while farmers warned Leadership that prices tighten heading into the May and June lean season. With the National Bureau of Statistics reporting tomatoes still cheaper year on year by April 2026 even as they rose month on month, the Lekki-Jakande pattern reads as seasonal pressure layered on a softer base.
Live readings sit on the Lekki-Jakande Market real-time prices page, and produce can be compared across markets on the compare tool.