Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, yesterday, lamented hike in prices of food items, and manipulation by market women at the Fresh Food Hub in Alakara Idi-Oro, Lagos.
The Guardian learnt that sellers were taking advantage of buyers, despite government’s support, and free space to display their products.
Recall that Lagos State government had kicked off the initiative under the Produce-4-Lagos scheme, in partnership with Niger and Kwara states, with a view to bridging food supply-demand gaps.
The aim was to reduce waste. But since the initiative started, buyers have complained of unwholesome practices and subversion by the traders.
Speaking with a group of market women, yesterday, the commissioner lamented that the traders have deviated from the plan and pact with the state government.
She said: “We did not put officials in the market to give people back 25 per cent after purchasing items. This was to avoid being accused of embezzlement. We pay MoMo, an innovative online trading platform and commission-free investment app, upfront, so that if anybody comes here to use the MoMo platform to pay, they get the 25 per cent automatically. But more than 70 per cent of you are refusing to use it, and it’s not fair.
“If you don’t like it, leave. It is not by force to sell here if you don’t want to use the platform.”
We are not charging you a penny. But your level of commitment is low because you are getting it free.”
If we are to charge you to sell here, you will not do what you are doing. You want to destroy our effort. It is painful that you want change in Nigeria but you don’t want to be part of it. You want to take advantage of fellow Nigerians and yet you say the government is the problem.”
Continuing, she said: “We gave some market women N50,000 each on Saturday, February 25, but they sold it to people who will sell at a higher price. We are the architects of our own problem, and you are the same people that will say politicians are bad. Be the change you want to see, and let the 25 per cent discount work or leave, and go to your market. We spent so much on this.
“In the last four weeks, I checked the MoMo statistics and I discovered that only less than N500,000 has been redeemed. A lot of people have been coming here, unable to access the service. It’s unfair that many are choosing to circumvent and take advantage.”
