Meat disappears from Nigerian homes as cow prices soar

As soaring cattle prices push up the cost of beef across Nigeria amid deepening poverty, low-income families are increasingly forced to remove meat from their meals. Many can no longer afford not only beef, but also fish, chicken, turkey, and other sources of animal protein. In this report, IDOWU ABDULLAHI examines how shrinking purchasing power is pushing nutritious diets beyond the reach of millions of poor households and worsening the country’s malnutrition crisis

on a sunny afternoon on May 13, 2026, in Isheri, a border town nestled between Lagos and Ogun States, Olaide Alarape stood quietly beside the butchers’ section of the Kara market, mentally calculating how far the cash in her hand could go.

Around her, market traders shouted prices to the attention of intending customers, but Alarape’s attention remained fixed on the displayed meat already surrounded by customers bargaining for smaller portions.

For the 37-year-old vegetable seller, feeding her family a balanced diet has become an exhausting daily struggle shaped by rising food prices, particularly the prices of animal protein, such as cow meat.

Meat, once a regular part of family meals, has gradually disappeared from her cooking pot.

“It’s been more than two months since I last bought meat. There are times I cook without any animal protein because things are now difficult, and the beef my children love to eat is now three times as expensive,” she told PUNCH Healthwise.

Like many Nigerians struggling with the rising cost of living, the mother of three now relies heavily on eggs to provide some form of protein in her children’s stew.

“When you go to the meat seller now, if you want to buy meat worth N2,000, how many will they give you? Meat worth N2,000 is available, but it is cut into tiny pieces. The N2,000 meat may just be about four small pieces.

“My children love meat, and I cannot afford meat that will last us for a few days. I just buy N1,000 eggs and use them to make stew instead of buying meat worth N5,000 that we’ll finish at once,” she told PUNCH Healthwise

Meals without protein

From the beginning of 2026, 40-year-old Nnena Victor had mastered the art of stretching a pot of soup.

Each evening, Victor, who survives on the meagre amount she makes from washing clothes for people in the Berger Area of Lagos State, serves her four children’s meals without animal protein.

Her children, once used to eating beef and fish in their meals at least a few times weekly, now survive mostly on garri, noodles, yams, and thin soups with barely any protein.

Before the worsening economic hardship, she said her family could afford meat several times a week without much difficulty.

“At least before things became this costly, we used to eat meat properly, maybe even several times a week. But now, I just buy eggs for them once or twice a week because meat has become like gold,” she lamented.

She said the rising prices had discouraged her from buying meat the way she once did.

“The cost is something else. I have to consider the amount I have and those of us who need to eat. If we buy meat worth N2,000 or N3,000 now, the quantity they will cut for you is very small compared to before. I no longer find it easy to buy meat.

“When we cannot afford meat, we buy cheap fish or eggs instead. Eggs, especially,” she told PUNCH Healthwise

Olaide and Victor’s experiences are not isolated. Their situation mirrors the growing reality for millions of vulnerable Nigerians who are increasingly unable to afford meat, a major source of animal protein amid worsening economic hardship.

Households reality

Across markets in Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Kano, Port Harcourt and other cities, the prices of beef, fish, turkey, eggs, and other protein products have continued to rise, forcing many households to either reduce their intake or eliminate animal protein from their diets.

Findings by PUNCH Healthwise revealed that protein-dense foods, including beef, chicken, turkey, fish, crayfish, and dairy products, have become luxury items for many low-income households.

For instance, a kilogram of beef ranges from N8,000 and above, goat meat is higher at N10,000, and turkey costs around N8,000, chicken is around N7,000 and above, depending on the types, while fish ranges from N3,000 to N10,000, depending on the types.

Findings by PUNCH Healthwise show that even eggs, which many vulnerable Nigerians have turned to, are not spared. Some Nigerians just buy in smaller quantities, which costs N200 or N250 per egg, depending on size.

A crate of eggs that sold for less than N2,000 a few years ago now costs N6,000 and above, depending on the markets or neighbourhoods.

Also, a paint bucket of crayfish that cost around N8,000 before now generally ranges between N12,000 and N18,000 depending on the density of the paint bucket.

Worryingly, while many vulnerable families cannot afford animal proteins, protein-rich fruits and vegetables that could also bridge the gap of protein deficiency are also costly, making them no options for Nigerians battling economic hardship.

The consequences, PUNCH Healthwise findings show, are increasingly visible in homes where families now prioritise filling their bellies with carbohydrate-dense foods over balanced, nutritious meals, a situation further worsening Nigeria’s malnutrition crisis.

Protein deficiency looms

Nutrition experts warned that the trend could lead to protein deficiency and worsen Nigeria’s already troubling malnutrition burden, particularly among children, pregnant women, and low-income families.

Protein is widely regarded as an essential building block of life. It is found in every cell of the body. When people do not get adequate amounts of protein from their diet, it leads to protein deficiency. Protein deficiency is today a major cause of malnutrition. The World Health Organisation describes malnutrition as “the gravest single threat to the world’s public health.”

Protein is a macronutrient that is basic for the development, upkeep, and repair of all your body’s cells.

Nigeria’s malnutrition burden

Already, about two million Nigerian children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, with only two out of every 10 children affected reached with treatment.

The United Nations Children’s Fund says malnutrition is a direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of children under five, adding that seven per cent of women of childbearing age suffer from acute malnutrition.

According to UNICEF, Nigeria carries the second-highest burden of stunted children in the world and the highest in Africa.

The 2023–2024 National Demographic and Health Survey revealed that nearly 40 per cent of Nigerian children under five are stunted, up from 37 per cent in 2018.

It added that about 8.0 per cent suffer wasting, compared to 7.0 per cent previously, and a quarter of children under five are underweight, up from 22 per cent.

Similarly, in January 2026, the United Nations, through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, disclosed that 35 million Nigerians are at risk of acute hunger this year.

The Médecins Sans Frontières, in its 2025 Country Activity Report released on May 13, 2026, raised concerns over worsening malnutrition in Nigeria.

The international medical humanitarian organisation revealed that more than 440,000 children were treated across its operations in Nigeria in 2025, adding that it recorded its highest number of malnutrition admissions in recent years last year.

Further findings by PUNCH Healthwise show that the alarming burden of malnutrition is tied to poverty, with over 60 per cent of Nigerians living below the poverty line, and survival often comes before nutrition.

The situation is further complicated by Nigeria’s low life expectancy, which health experts said was influenced by poverty, poor healthcare access, infectious diseases, and inadequate nutrition.

The latest United Nations 2025 global report placed Nigeria’s average life expectancy at 54.9 years.

Nigeria trails behind war-torn nations like Sudan, where life expectancy stands at 66.5 years, as well as Ghana at 65.7 years and South Sudan at 57.7 years.

Findings by PUNCH Healthwise showed that inflation and the resulting surge in food prices continue to weigh heavily on households, leaving many families unable to meet their daily nutritional needs.

We ration eggs, ponmo, fish

According to nutrition experts, animal proteins provide essential nutrients needed for growth, brain development, immunity, and overall body function.

However, for many Nigerians struggling to survive the current economic realities, balanced meals are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.

More than 10 women told PUNCH Healthwise that they now ration protein in their children’s meals, with beef mostly out of the equation because of the prices.

For a single mother living in the Alagbole area of Ogun State, Idayat Olayemi, protein-rich meals are now reserved for special occasions.

The 29-year-old said feeding her two children without animal protein like meat and fish had become a thing of the past.

“Before, I could buy meat, but not anymore. Now, I buy eggs or ponmo (cowhide) once in a while because I have to consider other things I need money for as a single mother. Most times, we just eat whatever can satisfy hunger,” she said.

Similarly, a hairdresser based in the Ogba area of Lagos, Toyin Alawode, said the economy has forced her to cut her coat according to our resources.

The mother of three explained that she now goes for eggs or buys N1,500 panla fish to make stew for her children.

“If you go to the butchers and ask them to cut meat worth N1,000 for you, they will only give you about three or four pieces. So, instead, I prefer to buy eggs or panla fish for my children. At least, if they cannot eat meat, they can eat eggs,” she said.

On her part, a full-time housewife, Rasaq Oluwakemi, said she had to devise means of making eggs into balls to mimic meat for her children.

“If I buy just two eggs, which is N500, I will mix them with pepper like I’m preparing it for frying, but I will pour it into a nylon, tie it, and boil it in the rice I’m making. Once it is cakes, I cut it into slices, and I use it to make stew so everybody can eat from it, including myself.

“That is how we are managing now. As long as there is at least something on the food for my children, we can manage it,” she said.

Also, a low-level civil servant and mother of three, Olawunmi Hajarah, said her family had drastically adjusted their feeding habits over the last two years.

The Mile 12-based 35-year-old explained that the rising cost of living had affected nearly every aspect of daily survival.

“My salary has not increased significantly, but food prices keep going up every week. We used to buy meat, chicken occasionally, and eggs regularly. Now, we ration the ones we can afford, and we most times depend on eggs and ponmo,” she said.

According to her, feeding a household has become one of the biggest financial burdens for many Nigerians.

“We just try to manage. School fees, electricity bills, transportation, and rent are competing with food. Sometimes, nutrition becomes secondary because survival comes first,” he added.

Cows now cost N3 Million – Cattle dealers, butchers

To find out why cow meat has become pricey lately, PUNCH Heathwise visited the abattoir in Oko Oba, Kara cattle market, and Mile 12 to speak to cattle dealers and butchers.

The stakeholders who spoke to PUNCH Healthwise blamed fuel subsidy removal on the astronomical rise in the prices of cow, which is reflected in the high prices of beef on butchers’ tables across the country.

They listed transportation costs from north to south, insecurity affecting farming communities, and the high cost of animal feed as other factors contributing to the increase in prices.

The Financial Secretary, Cattle Dealers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Isa Muhammed, said that following the removal of the fuel subsidy, the business changed drastically.

“Before the subsidy was removed, even the biggest cow you could find was not more than N700,000. But after the subsidy removal, prices started rising. Now, in the North, some cows cost N2,500,000.

“Before the increase in fuel price, transporting a full truckload of cattle from Maiduguri to Lagos used to cost about N450,000 to N500,000. But everything changed after fuel prices increased.

“Even the brown animal feed we buy from Nigerian Flour Mills has become very expensive. Before, we used to buy it for around N1,000 per bag. Sometimes, during August, we bought it for N870. But today, we buy the feed for about N18,000 per bag.

“Everything has become costly — animal feed, transportation, and even the people who escort the cattle trucks for security from North to Lagos. Their charges, which used to be N50,000 has now increased to N200,000,” he told PUNCH Healthwise during a visit to Abattoir in Oko Oba.

Corroborating Muhammed’s claim, the Chairman of the Cattle Dealer Association, Isheri-Olofin, Ogun State, Alhaji Kolo Muhammed, explained that transporting one cow from the North that used to cost about N50,000 is now N120,000 per cow.

“That is the reason why the price of cows is high. In fact, it is even higher than what we expected,” he said.

He explained that cow prices vary based on size, adding that there are cows that now cost over N3,000,000.

“The smallest one is sold for about N600,000, N650,000, or N700,000. The medium size is between N1.4 million, N1.5 million, and N1.6 million. Then the biggest ones are sold for N3 million, N3.1 million, or N3.3 million. That is how we sell them,” he said.

Many are in debts

Both cattle dealers’ executives lamented that many people in business are in debt, including the dealers and butchers.

The national secretary said, “Sometimes, you can spend N50 million or N60 million buying cattle from the North and transporting them to Lagos, only to return without making any profit. Sometimes, after two months, you still may not recover one naira. That is why many people are leaving the business.

“Even the butchers are suffering. Many of them buy cattle on credit and owe the dealers. Some butchers owe one person N30 million or N40 million.”

He added, “It is also not easy on their (butchers’) parts. Let me give you an example, if you buy a cow for N2 million and slaughter it for sale in pieces, you will need cut about 4,000 pieces at N500 each before you can recover the N2 million. Even after recovering the money, what about the other expenses? What about feeding yourself and your family? That is the present situation of the cattle business in this country.”

Also speaking to PUNCH Healthwise, the Chairman, Lagos State Butchers Association, Mr Ismaila Babalola, urged the government to support butchers across the country.

He noted that due to the rising cost of cattle, many butchers have abandoned the business and some retired.

Babalola said, “The cost of a cow is something else now. We now buy cows for 2 to 3 million. Many of our members have abandoned the business. Those who are still young left for other businesses, while those a bit older just stop working entirely. There is also the aspect of debt.

“We want the government to support our members by providing grants to help keep our members in business. We’d appreciate it if the government could support us to cushion the effect of the subsidy on our business.”

Customers beg to buy N1000 meat – Butchers

Speaking to PUNCH Healthwise, a butcher at Mile 12 Market, Kehinde Alabi, said many customers beg butchers to buy meat worth N500 or N1,000.

“The problem is that things are very hard for people now, and meat is expensive. We still sell meat in portions of N2,000 or N1,000 when customers cannot afford more. We understand the condition of the country.

“Some people even beg us, saying they and their children have not eaten meat for a while, and ask us to help them with N1,000 worth of meat, or even N500 worth. That is how things are now.

“Some people even plead for free meat because they have no money at all. Some buy N1,000 or N2,000 worth, and even N2,000 or N3,000 now feels too much for them,” he said.

Another butcher, Musiliu Adepoju, said customers now purchase fresh meat in smaller quantities than before.

According to him, many customers who previously bought sizable quantities of meat now request tiny portions.

“People price meat and walk away because they cannot afford it anymore. Some buy just one N1,000 or N2,000 for an entire family meal,” he said.

As protein prices continue to rise, the shrinking presence of meat and other nutritious foods across homes is becoming more than a household adjustment.

Experts said the high cost of animal protein, like cow meat, which is gradually disappearing from vulnerable Nigerians’ meals and other nutritious diets, may expose many to hidden hunger.

Children are most at risk – Experts

The nutritionists explained that while many Nigerians may still consume enough calories to feel full, the absence of nutrient-rich foods, such as animal protein, exposes them to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals.

According to the nutritionists, animal proteins provide nutrients such as iron, zinc, vitamin B12, calcium, and high-quality amino acids needed for healthy growth and body repair.

Without adequate intake, they said, vulnerable groups, especially children, may experience stunted growth, poor cognitive development, weakened immunity, fatigue, and increased risk of illness.

A registered dietitian nutritionist and former Director of Nutrition Services, Osun State, Mr James Oloyede, said, “When there is low intake of animal protein like beef, fish, among others, individuals are at risk of micronutrient deficiency.

“The greatest implication is on the children. Children less than five years old are going to have what we call severe acute malnutrition. When a child is malnourished in early childhood, it affects the child’s intellect because the brain will not be well-formed. Such a child is unable to develop as expected intellectually.

“There’ll be a high prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting in Nigeria. And this will weaken children’s immunity, making them susceptible to a lot of illnesses, like malaria, pneumonia, measles, which on their own can kill. But when malnutrition is now added, it raises the risk of child mortality.”

According to him, research and studies have shown that when there’s low or no protein intake, it also affects pregnancy outcomes.

“If a pregnant woman is not taking protein but depends on only carbohydrates, and overeats that, it can increase the risk of gestational diabetes and poor birth outcomes. A woman who has iron deficiency anaemia tends to have a poor pregnancy outcome, and this is a growing concern in Nigeria.

“Also, not eating quality protein during pregnancy has implications for the unborn child. Some children are born stunted right from the womb; that’s what you call intrauterine growth retardation. And they are born to a household where they can barely feed, and they also grow up malnourished, become pregnant themselves, and give birth to malnourished children, which forms an intergenerational cycle of malnutrition,” he said.

He noted that adults suffering from chronic nutrient deficiencies may also experience reduced work capacity, frequent illness, and poor overall health outcomes.

On her part, a Chief Dietitian/Nutritionist, Olufunmilola Ogunmiluyi, said consistently low intake of animal protein can lead to significant health issues

“Animal products are complete proteins containing all essential amino acids. Chronic deficiency can cause severe protein-energy malnutrition, manifesting as muscle wasting, weakened immunity, and metabolic issues,” she said.

According to her, the high cost of animal protein, parti