Residents of Surulere and environs trooped out in large numbers to the centre of the “Ounje Eko,” Lagos Discounted Food Program, on Sunday to purchase food items at cheaper prices.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that residents arrived as early as 6 a.m. at Lagos Progressive Junior Secondary School, Surulere, to benefit from the state government’s discounted food programme.
NAN reports that the program, which was meant to start at 11 a.m., started one hour late due to the unavailability of vouchers.
Dr. Adewunmi Adeyemi, Market Leader for Lagos Progressive Junior Secondary School, Surulere, under the Ounje Eko project, said shoppers were only allowed to purchase items using vouchers.
He said the target of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu was for residents to get food at cheap and discounted prices.
He said the state government paid 25 percent of the cost of the food items, while the shoppers paid 75 percent.
He said the items on sale included eggs, bread, pepper, onions, tomatoes, rice, garri, and beans.
“When you enter, you pay with your card, get your vouchers, and present them to the vendors, who will attend to you immediately.
“An individual is entitled to 5 kg of rice, beans, and garri, two loaves of bread, one crate of eggs, tomatoes, peppers, and onions.
“Today, 1,200 loaves of bread, 650 eggs, more than 40 crates of tomatoes, five bags of onions, 10 bags of pepper, and other items were sold to residents at discounted prices,” he said.
He explained that residents were not allowed to buy more than one item each of all the food on display.
“I want to appeal to our people to be patient and orderly. They should be considerate of others when buying food items.
“This market will last four weeks, so there is no need to overbuy,” he said.
The head of security said residents arrived at the venue as early as 6 a.m. as directed.
“We got here around 9:00 a.m. as directed by the government to ensure the safety of everyone.
“Security officials are on the ground to make sure everything goes well.
“We moved people into the venue in batches to maintain orderliness,” he said.
Some residents, however, said they were not happy that the programme started more than one hour behind schedule and that the discount was not enough.
Mrs. Abimbola Kanwei, 70, urged the government to adopt a better approach going forward as residents queued under the sun for more than five hours before they could buy the food items.
“I got here at 7 a.m. to be able to purchase food, and I was given number 25.
“As of 12:00 noon, they had not started attending to us. I am old, and I don’t have strong legs.
“This was not properly coordinated because, as of noon, we were told that they were still waiting for vouchers and the items were expensive.
“The government should try to address this shortfall. We appreciate what Sanwo-Olu is doing, but we don’t have to suffer before we buy the food,” she said.
Alhaja Serifat Rasaq, a resident of Surulere, urged the governor to review the price of the food items to 50 percent, as is the case with some local government chairmen.
Rasaq said the prices of all the food items, except bread, were too expensive compared with the market organised by the council chairmen.
“These food items are too expensive; the governor should increase the discount to 50 percent.
“Last week, we bought the same items here at cheaper prices than today. The governor can do it for us because things are very hard now,” she said.
Mrs. Abimbola Agbor, a businesswoman and mother of two, also called for a review of the 25 percent discount, saying the prices of items were high just like at conventional markets.
“The governor should review the discount to 50 percent to help the masses.
“We cannot feel any impact with the 25 percent discount; people are not buying the items because they are too expensive,” she said.
Mr. Hamed Layinde, a technician, urged the Lagos government to discentralize the market to benefit more people.
He also called for a review of the discount to 50 percent to accommodate more people.
Mrs. Serah Dadson, a businesswoman, said the process of buying the food items was too stressful, as it took more than six hours to make a purchase.
“This is like punishment. We stood under the sun for too long; if I had known it was going to be this way, I wouldn’t have come.
“We want the government to review the entire process,” she said.
Another resident, Mrs. Abosede Obi, commended the government for bringing the market to her neighborhood.
Obi said the discount was too minimal and urged the governor to use his good office to review the prices.
“I got here around 8.30 a.m. to take advantage of the discount. The process was seamless; I paid with my card, and they gave me vouchers for all the things I wanted.
“It is a very good idea, but the items are still expensive. I want the government to give us at least a 50 percent discount. Things are very good now, but we must eat.
“I want to appeal to the government to address the issue of delay or lateness in the next phase because we waited for too long,” she said.
NAN also reports that police officers from Area C Command, Surulere, officials of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps, and the Lagos State Transport Management Agency were at the venue to maintain orderliness. (NAN)
