Several residents of Lagos State have voiced their grievances, stating that the recently launched discounted food markets by the state government are, in fact, more expensive than regular markets.
Despite promises of affordability, residents have expressed disappointment over the high prices of food items at these markets.
The discounted food markets, known as “Ounje Eko,” were introduced by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to provide a 25% discount on staple food items such as rice, beans, garri, bread, eggs, tomatoes, and pepper.
The markets operate exclusively on Sundays across 57 locations in the state, aiming to alleviate the burden of high living costs.
However, residents have observed that the promised discount was not reflected in the prices of goods at the markets.
Videos shared by a civic group, Societal Concern, on TikTok depict residents expressing frustration over the perceived discrepancies in pricing.
According to residents, while certain food items may have slightly reduced prices compared to regular markets, others have seen significant increases.
“The food is very expensive. They said they wanted to reduce the prices by 25%, but they did not do that,” one of the residents said in the video.
The resident added, “At outside, we do buy a ‘Derika’ of rice (850 gram) for N1,500. But it is being sold for N1,200 here. Derika of Honey Beans outside for N1,000, but they are selling 5kg of beans here for N6000. That is very much of it. They called themselves a government, this is much of them, let them reduce everything.
“They said they came here with enough food for us, but at the end of the day, it is not enough, and the price is too much. Let him (the governor) minimise everything. They did not remove any 25% from the price. Only the eggs are cheaper here. Only the eggs are being sold for N2000 plus.
“Help us to tell Governor Sanwo-Olu to reduce the 25%(as he promised). The price of the food we met here is not what we are expecting.”
A resident who also blamed herself for patronising the discounted market said, “If we go to the market, the prices at the market are cheaper than what we are seeing here. I blamed myself for coming here. If I had known this is what they would sell, I would have gone to the market. They sold beans for N6,200, which its equivalent in the market is around N5000.”
People and ingratitude