The ‘Ounje Eko’, Lagos food market is offering discounts on prices of essential commodities across the state.
The commencement of the sales follows the announcement that the “Ounje Eko” food markets will begin sales of food items at discounted prices in the five divisions of the state on Sunday, March 17, so Lagosians may flood the various locations to buy food items at affordable prices.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu who disclosed this at a live media chat on February 22, said the ‘Sunday Markets’ initiative was aimed at cushioning the effects of the high cost of living in the country.
He stated that the food markets would operate exclusively on Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm across 57 locations in the state.
According to Gbenga Omotoso, the state Commissioner of information and Strategy, in a statement the markets would offer Lagosians a 25% discount on staple Food items, such as rice, beans, garlic, bread, eggs, tomatoes, and pepper.
The statement said: “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 carefully selected to operate the process and provide real-time data on the exercise for monitoring.
“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, for transparency,
“Prices of other staple food items will also be made available through various media outlets.
It has been observed that security operatives including Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) are on the ground to monitor the situation at the food markets.
