A market day in Lagos, Nigeria

At Mile 12 Market, big trucks arrive full of food.

They bring tomatoes, peppers and onions from farms far away. Strong workers carry heavy sacks. The air smells of peppers!

Mile 12 Market sits along Ikorodu Road on the Lagos mainland. BusinessDay calls it the city's main gateway for fresh food from northern Nigeria. Trucks arrive every day carrying tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans and grains.

Many traders here sell in large amounts, called wholesale. Fresh tomatoes and peppers spoil quickly, so traders try to sell fast, and prices can be bargained. A 2025 Daily Trust visit described the smell of fresh and dried peppers and workers carrying heavy sacks on their heads and shoulders.

Mile 12 Market, in Kosofe Local Government Area on Ikorodu Road, was established in the late 1970s and describes itself as the "home of food." BusinessDay identifies it as Lagos's main gateway for fresh produce from northern Nigeria, with trucks arriving daily carrying tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans and grains. Because many traders operate at wholesale level and need to move perishable produce before it spoils, prices are competitive and open to negotiation.

The market has associations for particular products. In a July 2025 Daily Trust feature, leaders of the Onion Sellers Association and the Fresh Pepper Association described how their goods reach Lagos: the onion traders' vice chairman named Sokoto State as the largest onion producer among the northern states, and the pepper association's chairman said the 19 northern states are pivotal to the supply of fresh pepper. Older traders also described how road conditions, fuel prices and security on the routes from the north affect their business.

Yams are big, starchy roots from the ground.

People boil them, roast them or fry them. Some people mash them into a soft dough. Nigeria grows lots and lots of yams.

Nigeria's staple crops include maize, cassava, sorghum, cowpeas, rice, yams and millet, according to the FAO. Yams are large, starchy tubers. Farmers plant pieces of yam or small whole "seed yams", and harvest them 180 to 270 days later.

In 2007, Nigeria grew about 71 percent of all the yams in the world, more than 37 million tons, according to IITA, a farm research institute. Yams are boiled, roasted, baked or fried, and in Africa they are also mashed into a sticky dough after boiling. Peppers and tomatoes, piled high at Mile 12, go into many everyday meals.

The FAO lists maize, cassava, sorghum, cowpea, rice, yam and millet among Nigeria's major staples and notes that the country ranks among the world's top ten producers of several of them. Agriculture contributed about 28 percent of GDP between 2021 and 2024 and employed about 40 percent of the labor force. The FAO also notes that Nigeria's climates range from tropical monsoon in the south to semi-arid Sahelian conditions in the north.

Yam is a striking example. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), headquartered in Ibadan, reports that in 2007 West Africa produced 94 percent of the world's 52 million tons of yams, and Nigeria alone 71 percent. White Guinea yam is indigenous to West Africa. In West and Central Africa, tubers are planted between February and April and harvested 180 to 270 days later; they then stay dormant for 30 to 120 days, which allows only one crop cycle a year and can restrict supply.

Some markets sell cloth instead of food.

At Balogun Market, sellers spread out rolls of colorful fabric. People buy cloth to make clothes. Another market, Tejuosho, has thousands of shops.

Lagos also has markets for fabric and clothes. Balogun Market, on Lagos Island, sprawls along the streets, and small traders spread their goods out by the road. A fabric seller with more than 30 years there told Daily Trust that ankara and lace sell the most.

Tejuosho Market, between Yaba and Ojuelegba on the mainland, is known for fabrics and fashion. Its rebuilt shopping complex has more than 4,500 shops, and one trader says business starts as early as 4 a.m.

Lagos's cloth trade is spread across several specialist markets. Balogun Market, on Lagos Island, is a sprawling street market where small traders spread their wares along the roads, so pedestrians push their way between stalls and vehicles. A trader of more than 30 years told Daily Trust in July 2025 that ankara and lace are the most sought-after fabrics, that much of the ankara sold there is imported from China and India, and that high energy costs have hurt local manufacturers.

Tejuosho Market, about 8.9 km away between Yaba and Ojuelegba, specializes in fashion items, fabrics and ready-made and second-hand clothes. After a fire in 2007, the state government rebuilt it through a public-private partnership; phases I and II of the new complex were completed in 2014, and it now houses more than 4,500 shops, with more sellers along the roadside. One roadside trader described it to Daily Trust as a morning market, with business starting around 4 a.m. and winding down around 4 p.m.

Food travels a long way to reach a plate in Lagos.

Farmers grow it. Trucks bring it to big markets. Traders buy lots, then sell smaller amounts. Soon the food reaches shops and homes all over the city.

Lagos's markets work together like a chain. Mile 12 brings in fresh produce from the north. Daleko Market, in Mushin, is a main wholesale market for rice, beans, maize, millet, sorghum and groundnuts. Iyana Iba Market sells vegetables, cassava and plantain from nearby farms in Ogun State.

Oyingbo Market, close to Lagos Island, supplies the island's neighborhoods. Early in the morning it sells large amounts to other traders. Later in the day, it sells smaller amounts to shoppers. That is how food moves from farm, to market, to kitchen.

No single market feeds Lagos; a network of wholesale hubs and retail stalls does. BusinessDay describes the roles: Mile 12 is the gateway for fresh produce from the north; Daleko, in Mushin, is the main wholesale market for grains and dry foods such as rice, beans, maize, millet, sorghum and groundnuts, and many retailers across the city restock there; Iyana Iba, in Ojo, sells vegetables, cassava, plantain, maize and fruit from farming communities in nearby Ogun State; and Oshodi, at one of the busiest transport junctions, handles a wide range of foods.

Oyingbo Market shows the daily rhythm. On the mainland close to Lagos Island, it is a major supply point for island communities, selling vegetables, spices, dried peppers, grains, smoked fish and palm oil. Large early-morning sales go to traders, followed by retail selling later in the day, so goods are broken down and resold as they move outward. BusinessDay notes that supermarkets and neighborhood shops often charge more because their prices carry rent, transport and several layers of reselling.