Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has issued a directive to provide relief to the people of Lagos. Starting from Sunday, March 17, 2024, 'Ounje Eko' food markets in the five divisions of Lagos will offer discounted sales of food items.
Lagos State's Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, announced on Friday that food items, including rice, beans, garri, bread, eggs, tomatoes, and pepper, will be available for purchase at a 25% discount for residents in selected markets.
Omotoso said a 5kg bag of rice will sell for N5,325 while 1kg will sell for N1,065. Also, a 5kg bag of Beans will be sold for N6,225 while 1kg will go for N1,245 in the markets that will be open at 27 locations in Ikeja; six in Lagos Island; nine in Ikorodu; five in Epe; and 10 in Badagry divisions.
According to his statement, the prices of essential food items will be disseminated through different media channels. In addition, he mentioned that a voucher system will be implemented as a pilot scheme to prevent fraudulent activities and guarantee that the food items reach a large number of Lagosians.
He said that 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.
In order to facilitate the process, the Commissioner stated that independent payment solution providers and food vendors have been carefully selected to operate. Additionally, real-time updates on the exercise will be provided for monitoring purposes.
He added that they will also provide real-time data on the exercise for monitoring.
Omotoso concluded by saying that Mr. Governor has urged Lagosians to work with operators at various locations, monitor the process and provide feedback through official channels of the Lagos State Government.
