Edun Yusuf
The Lagos State government has directed the inception of operations of a poverty alleviation market “Ounje Eko” from Sunday, March 17, 2024, across the state.
This was according to a statement issued by Commissioner, Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho on Saturday.
The commissioner in his words, said the markets have been created with the selling of discounted food items to alleviate the people from the harsh current prices of food items in Nigeria
Omotosho revealed that food items such as rice, beans, garlic, bread, eggs, tomatoes, pepper, among others – will be sold at 25% discount to residents while some discounted items including 5kg of rice, which will be sold as N5,325 instead N7,100; Beans, N6,225 instead of N8,300; Garri, 5,300 instead of N3,975; Tomatoes 2k N1,800 instead of N2,400 ; Bread 2Loaves N1,500 instead N2,00, among others.
In the same vein, he said commercialization and other operations would take place on the markets only on Sundays.
The statement partly reads, “To prevent sharp practices and ensure the foodstuff reaches a large number of Lagosians, a voucher system will be introduced as the pilot scheme kicks off.
“Independent payment solution providers and food vendors have been identified and carefully selected to operate the process. They will also provide real-time data on the exercise for monitoring.
“For transparency, prices of the items have also been listed. A 5kg bag of rice would sell for N5,325 while 1kg goes for N1,065; a 5kg bag of Beans – N6,225 while 1kg would sell for N1,245. Prices of other staple food items will also be made available through various media outlets.
“The markets will be open at 27 locations in Ikeja; six in Lagos Island; nine in Ikorodu; five in Epe; and 10 in Badagry divisions.”