Lagos suspends Ounje Eko over vendors’ manipulations

The second phase of the Ounje Eko initiative, which the Lagos government launched to subsidise rising food costs in the state, has now been put on hold over incidents of manipulations by participating vendors.

Gbolahan Yishawu, a lawmaker representing Eti-Osa Constituency 02 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, disclosed this at the 11th Eti-Osa Constituency 02 Town hall meeting in Lagos, which was part of the 9th constituency stakeholders’ meeting held simultaneously across all 40 constituencies in the state.

“The initiative was meant to help people buy what they needed and then return when necessary. Unfortunately, the system was hijacked, undermining the government’s effort to subsidise residents,” Yishawu said.

The initiative was initially designed as a medium of succour for Lagosians grappling with food inflation and held its successful first phase in March of 2024 across 57 local governments.

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But Yishawu said the suspension was temporary. He assured that when all shortcomings were sorted, the Ounje Eko would kick off again, selling food items like rice, beans, eggs, and others, at a 25 percent discount rate.

At the beginning of the second phase of the Ounje Eko food discount programme, Abisola Olusanya, the Lagos State commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems during a press briefing in August, said that although food prices were declining at the time, the state government saw phase II of the initiative imperative to assist more people afford a healthy diet.

The market which operated on Sundays in various communities like Ketu, Lekki Phase 1, and Epe, was a beam of hope to many people who were grappling with food inflation at over 40 percent.

The food discount market was meant to run for eight weeks across 64 locations, including the 57 LGAs/LCDAs, Alausa Secretariat, Lekki Phase 1, University of Lagos, Lagos State University, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Lagos State University of Education and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.