By Elizabeth Adegbesan

The national average Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) rose by 3.12 percent month-on-month (MoM) to N1,589 per adult per day in April from N1,541 per adult per day in March 2026.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this yesterday in its CoHD Report for April 2026, noting that the increase was driven by rising prices across all food groups except starchy staples.

it stated: “The national average Cost of a Healthy Diet was N1,589 in April 2026. This shows an increase of 3.12% when compared to the amount recorded in the previous month (March 2026 was N1,541).”

The Bureau noted that the CoHD rose faster than both general inflation and food inflation during the period.

On the cost of food share groups, the Bureau said animal source foods were the most expensive food group recommendations to meet in April, accounting for 40 percent of the total CoHD while providing 13 percent of the total calories.

“Fruits and vegetables were the most expensive food groups in terms of price per calorie; they accounted for 16 percent and 14 percent, respectively, of the total CoHD while providing only 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of the total calories in the Healthy Diet Basket.

“Legumes, Nuts, and Seeds were the least expensive food group on average, accounting for 7 percent of the total cost.”

On national, state and zonal trends, the NBS said: “The national average Cost of a Healthy Diet was N1,589 per adult per day in April 2026.

“At the state level, Ekiti, Imo and Bayelsa states recorded the highest costs at N2,036, N2,018 and N1,909, respectively. Adamawa, the Federal Capital Territory and Akwa Ibom State recorded the lowest costs at N1,143, N1,278 and N1,314, respectively.

“At the zonal level, the average CoHD was highest in the South-East Zone at N1,830 per day, followed by the South-West Zone at N1,753 per day.

“The lowest average Cost of a Healthy Diet was recorded in the North-East Zone at N1,415 per day.”

By Peter Egwuatu

Shareholders of Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc have approved plans by the company’s Board of Directors to raise additional capital to accelerate its expansion programme and complete its ongoing world-class pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Amawbia, Anambra State.

At the company’s 67th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held virtually, shareholders unanimously approved all the board’s resolutions and called for appropriate timing of the capital raising to ensure full subscription.

Shareholders’ group leaders, including Boniface Okezie, Moses Igbrude, Mrs Bisi Bakare, Alex Adio and Adebayo Adeleke, urged the Board and Management to ensure that the new plant, upon completion, serves as a hub for manufacturing local drugs in the country.

Chairman of the company, Christopher Oshiafi, commended shareholders for their loyalty and support, noting that they had earlier approved a N20 billion capital raise programme, under which the company recently concluded a successful N2.4 billion Rights Issue.

He explained that part of the proceeds had been earmarked for completing the Amawbia manufacturing project, while additional funding would be required to fully execute the project.

According to Oshiafi, the facility will meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and position the company to take advantage of opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Valentine Okelu, described the project as a strategic priority, saying management remained committed to securing the funding needed to accelerate its completion.

The capital raising plan follows a strong financial turnaround in 2025, with revenue rising 64 per cent to N7.37 billion from N4.49 billion in 2024. Profit after tax stood at N976.4 million, compared with a loss of N885.3 million in the previous year.

Okelu attributed the improved performance to stronger market penetration, enhanced operational efficiency and the successful restructuring of the company’s foreign currency obligations. Oshiafi added that Neimeth’s share price rose from N2.29 to N6.15, pushing market capitalisation to N26.3 billion. He said the company’s priorities remain sustaining profitability, reducing debt, strengthening working capital, improving production efficiency and introducing

Assures FG committed to reducing bottlenecks in doing business

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA—THE Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, said yesterday the Federal Government must keep engagement with the business sector openly.

According to him, any government that ignores employers cannot fully understand the economy.

Consequently, he said the federal government remained committed to reducing bottlenecks and digitising government processes, so that reforms announced in Abuja were experienced by businesses in Lagos, Kano, Aba and every part of the country without delay.

Speaking at the 5th Nigerian Employers’ Summit in Abuja, the vice president, who was represented by  former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and Special Adviser to the President on General Duties, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar, said the summit was timely because Nigeria stood at a decisive moment.

“It is honest because reform demands difficult conversations about production costs, access to credit, exchange rates, taxation and investment

“It is necessary because the private sector cannot compete on sentiment. It competes on functional infrastructure, predictable policies, fair taxation and reliable energy,’’ he said.

Commending President Bola Tinubu for the hard decisions he had taken, Senator Kashim said the economies flourishing today did not stumble into prosperity, adding that they summoned the foresight to imagine a different future and the courage to implement the reforms that brought that future within reach.

“Foresight without courage produces fine speeches and empty outcomes. Courage without foresight produces motion without progress. What a nation requires is the marriage of both: the vision to see what must change and the resolve to change it, even when the path is steep.  That is the burden of responsible leadership and the spirit in which I address you this morning,’’ Shettima said.

While welcoming participants to the 5th Nigerian Employers’ Summit, a leading private sector platform for conversations on enterprise sustainability, job creation, placement facilitation and inclusive growth, the vice president said:  “For nearly seven decades, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, has remained a credible voice of employers, building bridges between government, labour, development partners and the business community. I commend NECA for sustaining this important tradition.”

“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, the economy carried deep structural burdens. Fuel subsidy had become fiscally unsustainable. The foreign exchange market was fragmented, government revenue was weak and investor confidence required rebuilding.

“The easy option at that time was to postpone difficult decisions. But leadership is tested when the right decision is also the difficult one.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda was designed to confront these realities. We cannot build prosperity on distortions, attract investment when foreign exchange remains uncertain, or create jobs when enterprises are suffocated by multiple taxation, poor logistics and insecurity.

“The reforms have been difficult, but their purpose is to correct the foundations so that growth becomes real, durable and inclusive. There is no doubt that restoring macroeconomic stability was our first task because a stable economy is the first infrastructure of business. Before roads, railways and ports, businesses need confidence to plan and invest.”

“This is why removing the fuel subsidy and reforming the foreign exchange market remain central to our reforms. The subsidy crowded out investment while encouraging inefficiency and rent-seeking. The foreign exchange reforms are delivering a more transparent and market-reflective system.

“Our fiscal and tax reforms follow the same logic. Businesses do not reject taxation. They reject multiple taxation, harassment and systems that punish compliance while rewarding informality.

“Our agenda reduces the number of taxes, harmonises administration, protects the vulnerable, supports small businesses and encourages compliance by lowering rates while widening the tax base needed to fund infrastructure.

“The private sector asks only that government should not make doing business unnecessarily difficult. Every delayed approval and every unclear regulation imposes additional costs on enterprise.”

“That is why we remain committed to reducing bottlenecks and digitising government processes so that reforms announced in Abuja are experienced by businesses in Lagos, Kano, Aba and every part of the country without delay.”

In his welcome address, the Director-General of NECA, Mr. Adewale Oyerinde, said five years after the summit was established, it had consistently produced practical policy recommendations that successive governments had found useful. 

“From the inaugural edition at Transcorp Hilton Abuja to this fifth edition at Abuja Continental Hotel, the summit has shaped national conversations and strengthened confidence between government and the organised private sector,” he said.