Families across Nigerian cities and communities are shifting from balanced meals to survival diets as inflation, insecurity and shrinking incomes reshape everyday food choices.
Inside a small room, Aisha Musa sits on the floor with her three children, sharing cups of garri into plastic bowls. Feeding her family, she says, has become a daily calculation.
“Before, if my children asked for meat, I could still manage and buy small.
“Now, even eggs are becoming a luxury,” she said.
DAILY POST reports that what used to be routine has become survival planning of what can be eaten today, and what must wait.
Nigeria’s food crisis is unfolding against a backdrop of rising inflation, with the National Bureau of Statistics reporting food inflation consistently above 30% in recent periods, placing severe pressure on household purchasing power.
In homes, student lodges and roadside food stalls, rising food prices are quietly reshaping diets.
Meat is becoming rare. Fish is less frequent. Fruits and milk have quietly disappeared from many daily meals.
Rice, garri, noodles and bread now dominate not by preference, but affordability.
In Ajah, Lagos, rising food prices are reflected in everyday buying decisions.
Mrs Rebecca James, a food seller, says customers now arrive with fixed budgets and little room for choice.
“E choke ooo. We are just managing what we see. No more selecting food,” she said.
Mrs James explained that many buyers now break meals into smaller portions.
“Before, people could buy rice, meat and drinks together. Now they divide it.
