Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Thursday that his administration plans to engage the services of canteens, locally known as Mama Put, to feed between 1,000 to 1,500 residents daily in each of the state’s local government areas.
Speaking during a media chat, Mr Sanwo-Olu said the move is part of measures to cushion the impacts of the rising cost of living in the country which has sparked protests in several cities.
“The third level will be that we are now going to do what we call, the soup bowl; the soup kitchen. We did it also during COVID-19,” he said.
“We want to identify Mama Put and caterers. We want to be able to feed between 1,000 and 1,500 in every local government per day, at the first instance, for the next 30 to 60 days.
“So let’s watch out for the logistics. We are identifying the caterers already. Funds will be sent to them, and they will have vouchers to show, so that people just walk in and they just give them something to eat, one a day, and let’s just continue on that.”
Sanwo-Olu explained that the strategy would not only provide food for thousands of people but would also empower small scale restaurants in the state.
The governor added that the state has set up teams to properly utilise the government registers, community-based and faith-based groups to ensure that the food gets to the targeted members of society.
Sanwo-Olu also announced a 25 per cent reduction on all public transportation in the state owing to the removal of fuel subsidy which has skyrocketed the costs of transportation among others.
He added that his administration will open “Sunday markets” in at least 42 identified places for residents to buy food items at a 25 percent discounted rate.
According to him, Lagos residents will not be able to buy things above N25,000 at those markets.
