Average Nigerian needs N786 to eat healthy diet daily, says NBS

Anew statistics released yesterday by the National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS) has said an average Nigerian adult needed about N786 to eat a healthy diet per day as of December 2023.

The Bureau in conjunction with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition ( GAIN), revealed this at the launch of the Cost of a Healthy Diet ( COHD) indicator in Abuja, yesterday. The report said in December, the average COHD was highest in the Southwest at N979 per adult per day, compared to N663 per adult per day in North West.

Statistician- General/ Chief Executive Officer, Adeyemi Adeniran, said the COHD is an indicator that points to the least expensive combination of locally available items that meet globally consistent food- based dietary guidelines, used as a measure of physical and economic access to healthy diet.

He said the COHD is a lower bound ( or floor) of the cost per adult per day excluding the cost of transportation and meal preparation.

The Guardian gathered that the COHD increased to 5.9 per cent in December 2023, as compared to N742 in November 2023. The report noted that in December, "the National Average Cost of a Healthy Diet was N786."

For November, "the average COHD was highest in Southeast at N920 per adult per day, compared to N616 per adult per day in Northeast." Also, in October, the average COHD was N703, "highest in the Southeast at N918 per adult per day, compared to N605 per adult per day in Northeast."

The report explained that the COHD indicator was derived from the "comprehensive food price data" which is a "key component in calculating the inflation rate."

PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRAN Managing Director, Anchor Heritage, Bidemi Oladipupo ( left); Deputy Controller of Corrections ( DCC) in charge of Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, Micheal Anugwa and Managing Director, Donate Nigeria, Ododo Onawunmi during the coding graduation/ competition for inmates at the Correctional Centre in Lagos… yesterday.