In the wake of recent nationwide hunger protests, Kaduna has seen a dramatic increase in the prices of cooking gas and essential food items.

The cost of staples like provisions, grains, and other food products has been rising steadily in markets across the city. According to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited Kaduna on Monday, the prices of items such as rice, beans, yams, garri, and noodles have surged for the fourth time in 2024.

For example, the price of a kilogram of cooking gas, which was between N1,100 and N1,120 in July, has now climbed to N1,400 at some gas stations in Kaduna. At Sheikh Abubakar Gumi Market, a 50-kg bag of foreign rice, previously priced at about N79,000, now ranges between N86,000 and N90,000.

Yams, which cost N5,000 per tuber just weeks ago, have increased to N7,000 per tuber and N28,000 for a set of five. A local measure of eight cups of beans, once priced between N2,000 and N2,500, now costs N3,500, while a measure of garri has risen from N1,300 to between N1,400 and N1,500.

Other price hikes include a carton of Indomie noodles, which has increased from N7,500 to N7,700, and a basket of Irish potatoes, which has gone up from between N5,000 and N5,500 to N6,000.

Traders have attributed these price increases to higher costs at supply depots and transportation difficulties. Some have also cited shortages of certain food items. Esther James, a local food vendor, explained, “I no longer sell eggs individually; I now sell entire crates for N4,400. Selling them singly could result in a loss.”