A claim that the cheapest Nigerian state to live in is Delta State has been circulating on social media.
The claim was made via X and Facebook posts and it has since generated traction on both social platforms.
The claim was made by Ossai Ovie Success on both platforms. Ossai is a media aide to the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori.
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On the X platform, Ossai posted an image that contained several foodstuff such as two 25kg bags of rice, six cartons of instant noodles, tubers of yam, crates of eggs, household provisions, condiments, beverages amongst other household items.
The caption read thus:
My friend got all these for 70k in Delta State excluding rice So kindly relocate to Delta if life is hard in your current location . So I won’t be disappointed in you.
The post has garnered over 700,000 views, more than 700 reposts, and over 500 comments on X.
Similarly, earlier on March 3, 2025, Ossai had posted a statement on Facebook claiming that Delta State is the cheapest state to live in Nigeria currently.
The post read:
The cheapest state to live in Nigeria still remains Delta State. You can never be disappointed.
It has also gone viral on Facebook with over 2,000 likes and over 2,000 comments.
A look at the comments section on both social platforms show that residents of the state disagreed with him and this prompted our researcher to verify the claim.
CLAIM
Delta state is the cheapest state to live in Nigeria.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE!
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an economic indicator that tracks inflation by measuring changes in the prices of a selected basket of goods and services commonly purchased by households.
It reflects how the cost of living fluctuates over time, typically analyzed on a monthly or annual basis. Governments and policymakers use the CPI to assess economic trends, adjust wages, and make informed financial decisions.
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As of December 2024, Nigeria’s headline inflation stood at 34.80%, rising from 34.60% in November 2024, while food inflation reached 38.84%.
Among the states with the highest year-on-year inflation rates for all items were Bauchi, Sokoto, and Kebbi, while Imo at 29.99%, Delta at 29.23%, and Katsina 28.33% recorded the lowest increases in headline inflation.
On March 17, 2025, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for February 2025, detailing inflation rates across states. The headline inflation rate for February 2025 was recorded at 23.18%, a decrease from 31.70% in February 2024, though calculated using a different base year. Food inflation stood at 23.51% on a year-on-year basis.
The states that had the highest year-on-year headline inflation rates were Edo which stood at 33.59%, Enugu at 30.72%, and Sokoto at 30.19% while Kaduna stood at 15.45%, Akwa Ibom at 15.53%, and Plateau at 15.74% recorded the lowest.
Month-on-month, Sokoto, Kogi and Edo saw the highest increases in headline inflation at 11.98%, 11.38% and 8.87% respectively while Kaduna, Ondo, and Plateau experienced the least increase at -8.83%, -4.78% and -3.73% respectively.
For food inflation, Sokoto, Edo and Nasarawa states had the highest annual increases, whereas Adamawa, Ondo and Oyo recorded the slowest rise. Month-on-month food inflation was highest in Sokoto, Nasarawa, and Kogi, while Ondo, Kaduna, and Oyo saw declines.
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The FactCheckHub observed that Delta State did not rank among the states with the lowest headline or food inflation rates. Its year-on-year food inflation stood at 19.8%, while overall inflation was 21.87% for February 2025.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Delta state is the cheapest Nigerian state to live in is FALSE; recent data from the NBS show that Delta State did not rank among the states with the lowest headline or food inflation rates, as other states had lower headline or food inflation rates.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org.
