When Mrs. Lara Olaleye, mother of four, heard about the ‘Ounje Eko’ initiative, she assumed it was a sham by the Lagos State Government, posturing to alleviate poverty by offering food items at the same market price.
After launching the Fresh Food Hub, a mid-level agro-market located in the Mushin axis in January, the Lagos State Government rolled out the ‘Ounje Eko’ scheme across five divisions in the state. This initiative offered various food items at a 25% discount.
The 25% discount on food items seemed too good to be true, prompting Olaleye to visit the Ifako-Ijaiye outlet, one of the 27 locations opened in Ikeja local government, the day it launched on March 17th, to confirm the authenticity of the discount.
“By the time it was our turn to go for the food items that we paid for, we picked up some but some had finished. Our vouchers were signed on, and we were asked to come back the following Sunday,” she told The Record. She returned to shop on March 24 and was able to use up all her vouchers to purchase foodstuffs at the discounted rate.
“A crate of eggs in my estate, Harmony Estate on College Road, is N4,500 or N4,200. Here, we are getting a crate of eggs for N2,700,” Olaleye shared excitedly.
The Ounje Eko scheme, which is a Sunday market, officially opened on March 17 across Lagos, with 27 locations in Ikeja, six in Lagos Island, nine in Ikorodu, five in Epe, and ten in Badagry divisions.
“The 5kg bag of rice sells for N5,325, while 1kg goes for N1,065. Similarly, a 5kg bag of beans is priced at N6,225, with 1kg selling for N1,245,” disclosed the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, in an official statement.
During a visit to the Ifako-Ijaiye location, our correspondent confirmed the 25% discount on staples such as rice, beans, garri, bread, eggs, tomatoes, pepper, and onions.
However, there are still complaints from residents about crowd management and the organisation of the scheme.
Miss Grace Fayemi, a nurse at the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital, bemoaned the crowd at the center, miffed at how difficult it is for people to purchase food items easily.
“The queue is too long, and it’s time-consuming. It wastes time,” Fayemi said.
Mr. Gideon Olayemi, another resident waiting in line to shop for food items, expressed optimism about the initiative.
“Once it is orderly and arranged, it can go a long way. I believe in it. Once we are coordinated and the organizers come around to arrange us, it is good. We should just cooperate and organize ourselves,” Olayemi urged other residents.
One of the team members of the Ounje Eko initiative in Ifako-Ijaiye LCDA, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, confirmed to The Record that on the opening date, they had a surge which prompted them to work on further developments on how to manage the crowd properly.