Nigeria: Fishermen Blame N-Delta Militancy On Fishery Neglect
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Vanguard (Lagos)
29 August 2008
Posted to the web 29 August 2008
Ben Agande
The Nigerian Union of Fishermen and Seafood Dealers Association has blamed the increasing militancy in the Niger Delta region on the neglect by successive governments to harness the fishery potentials of the country noting that with the huge potential of fishing in the country, the government could drastically reduce the activities of militants if these potentials are utilized.
Inaugurating the national Revenue Drive Committee of the Union in Abuja yesterday, the national Chairman of the Union , Mr. Tony Akwujani said the union was determined to partner with relevant government ministries, agencies and other international bodies to ensure that the country's potentials in fisheries was fully utilized.
According to him, with the country's natural endowment of more than 923 kilometre of coastline, several rivers and tributaries, the country had no business importing fish in the quantum that it is presently doing.
"With Nigeria's population of about 140million, it indicates that we are the largest consumers of fish in Africa with a total consumption rate of 1.3million metric tonnes while the total net fish production has unfortunately stagnated at 450,000 metric tonnes due to years of wild fish stock depletion through over fishing and poor fisheries management," he pointed out.
The national president added that while the catch per unit efforts by fishermen dwindled, "recent importation bills heightened to N50billion."
thereby leading to local loss of jobs in industrial and artisanal fisheries.
He said through the efforts of the NUFAS in collaboration with the federal ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, aquaculture in the country has risen from 35,000 metric tones to 85,000 metric tones in the last one year, making Nigeria the largest producer of cat fish in Africa .
Mr Akwujani said if properly harnessed, 'fisheries could be used in fast tracking the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, the president's seven point agenda and vision 2020.
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"Fishery programmes could also be used in employment generation, poverty reduction, wealth creating, food security and gender equality. It could also reduce youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region, arrest illegal bunkering, women and child trafficking and armed robbery" he said.
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