Onions are the one vegetable getting dearer in Lagos. FoodPrices Nigeria data from the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems market survey shows the mean price of onions climbed from ₦1,030 per kg in the first week of October to ₦1,154 in the second week, ₦1,210 in the third and ₦1,260 in the fourth. That is a ₦230 or 22.33% rise in three weeks, including a 4.13% rise in the fourth week alone, while every pepper and tomato line fell.
The Highest Average of the Year
The October average of ₦1,164 per kg is the highest monthly onion average recorded in 2026. It is 10.02% above September's ₦1,058 and 16.89% above January's ₦995. The fourth-week price of ₦1,260 is 33.90% above the May average of ₦941, the year's low.
Where the Rise Came From
The increase was concentrated in a few markets. At Ajah Market, onions doubled from ₦1,000 per kg in the first week of October to ₦2,000 by the third week. At Agege Market, they rose 42.86% from ₦1,400 to ₦2,000. Mushin Market held at ₦900 for three weeks before jumping to ₦1,300 in the fourth, a 44.44% rise in a single week. Oyingbo Market moved from ₦900 to ₦1,100.
Mile 12 Market did not move at all, holding at ₦700 per kg in every week of October. That leaves Mile 12 as the cheapest market in Lagos and Agege and Ajah as the dearest at ₦2,000, a 185.7% premium for the same kg of onions.
A household that uses 2kg of onions a week pays ₦2,520 at the fourth-week mean and ₦1,400 at Mile 12 Market, a saving of ₦1,120 a week, or ₦4,480 over four weeks.
What Other Surveys Say
Legit.ng reported on 27 September that onion prices in Lagos had surged by more than 200% since May. An onion wholesaler at Oyingbo Market, Ibrahim Idris, told Legit.ng that a paint bucket sold for ₦3,000 in May now sells for ₦10,000. The same report put a large bag at ₦150,000 to ₦250,000 against ₦50,000 to ₦70,000 in May. The National Onion Producers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria blamed flooding in Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Adamawa, along with rising seed costs. A separate Legit.ng report on 29 September listed onions first among items to buy before prices rise again.
Those reports agree with the direction in FoodPrices Nigeria data, though the size differs. The wholesale bucket and bag prices tripled, while the Lagos retail kg mean has risen by about a third since May. The retail climb in October suggests the wholesale squeeze is now reaching household shopping.
Live prices: foodprices.ng/real-time-prices/?category=Vegetables