Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday inaugurated N750 million Lagos Market/Trader Money to assist a total of 15,000 market men and women in their businesses, saying that this was part of measures to address the hardship in the country.
Governor Sanwo-Olu made this known during the commissioning of a Mid-Level Agro-produce Hub, at Idi-Oro, Mushin, saying that each beneficiary, in the first phase of the exercise, would get N50,000 from the government.
The Agro-produce Hub, sited on 6,400 sq.m of land, according to Governor Sanwo-Olu, is with adequate car/truck parking area, and with centralised dry and cold storage systems, giving the market players the economies of scale to make decent profits.
Speaking on the intervention for all market men and women, Sanwo-Olu stated that each Local Government would submit 200 names, while both the Iyaloja and Babaloja were expected to get 50 slots each, in each of the markets, adding that markets in military formations would also benefit.
“The government has come up with an intervention for all market men and women. The Market/Trader Money is for 15,000 beneficiaries as support. Each beneficiary will get N50,000 from the government.
“Each Local Government will submit 200 names. The Iyaloja, Babaloja will get 50 slots each, in each of the markets.
“This will be the first attempt. This is what the President is talking about. You can imagine somebody that is selling fruits; this will make her get more money and be able to sustain lives,” the governor stated.
On the commissioning, Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed excitement, describing the Agro-produce Hub as another milestone toward achieving the state government’s food security objective.
According to him, the facility, the first in the state, will herald a turning point in the State’s Food Distribution System, saying that the Food System Transformation Agenda was adopted as a measure to improve the current system which is inundated by wastage, post-harvest losses, traffic congestion, among others that resulted in the loss of over 50 percent of agricultural produce, most especially in perishables.
“I am excited to be here this afternoon as we witness another milestone toward achieving our food security objective with the formal commissioning of the Mid-Level Agro-produce Hub, Idi-Oro, Mushin. This facility, the first in the state, heralds a turning point in the State’s Food Distribution System.
“The Food System Transformation Agenda was adopted as a measure to improve the current system which is inundated by wastage, post-harvest losses, traffic congestion, and other inefficiencies that result in the loss of over 50% of agricultural produce, especially in perishables,” the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu explained that the transformation journey was hinged on 5-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap (2021-2026), noting that the agenda categorized the Food System into the Central Logistics Hub, Mid-level Agro-produce Hub, and the Last Mile Food Distribution outlets.
He further stated that the roadmap, which reflected his administration’s passionate commitment to boosting food production, processing, and marketing, sets the stage for direct interventions, strategic collaborations, and the establishment of linkages with the private sector, financial institutions, foreign governments, and multilateral agencies.
In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, while noting that the event was meant to celebrate Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s food transformation project, explained that the essence of the hub was to have a storage facility that would make perishable foods durable, adding that it would ensure food security and affordable pricing.
“We are here to celebrate the agricultural programme. It is part of Mr Governor’s food transformation project.
“The essence of the hub is to have a storage facility that will make perishable foods durable. It would ensure food security and affordable pricing.
“The project is part of Mr Governor’s Food Transformation Agenda, and it is a logical agenda. What we have here is the Middle level food hub and it is a kind of market that should be seen at all local government levels. It is a very simple hub, and nothing complicated about it.
“But the idea around it is how to decentralize procurement of items from and far-wide market and to centralise storage both for wet and dry food, and the need for logistics such that it reduces transportation requirements, reduce the number of traffic on roads as a result of the number of trucks that move around Lagos and to ensure that our farmers are able to produce based on demand and adequately prepare beforehand and maximise on profit,” she said.
“And the bottom line is to ensure that consumers are buying fresh wholesome food at the right price in the right location, even with the impetus that they are coming for a wonderful shopping experience and in a safe environment, that is what the middle-level hub is all about,” she added.
The Iyaloja of Mushin, Alhaja Taibat Borokini, in her own remark, expressed delight over the gesture, saying it would go a long way in addressing the challenges faced by market men and women in the state.
