FISON Fellowship award: Federal Lawmaker advocates better deal for fishery industry
Barth Ndubuwah, Ijeh Ekpowaji, Port Harcourt
The lawmaker representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante has advocated for intervention of the federal government in the fishery industry, now a subsector in the Agriculture Ministry.
Abiante made the call while delivering a lecture at the 17th Fellowship Award ceremony of Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Speaking on the topic, “Stemming Insecurity and Enhancing National Economy; The Fisheries & Aquaculture Option,” Abiante maintained that while other countries like Ghana, Senegal, China, Norway and USA base their sustenance on fisheries, Nigeria relies on oil and gas,which he said is limited or even temporary.
The lawmaker was of the opinion that if the fishing industry is given its proper place in terms of adequate budgetary provisions, Nigerian economic woes will be a thing of the past.
He commended Senegal and Ghana for the adequate attention given to fishery, which he said paid off for the nations’ economy.
“Look at Senegal for instance, over 80% of their foreign revenue in gotten from fish exportation, while Nigeria is a net importer of fish. Apart from creating employment, it will go a long way in enhancing our national economic development.
“While interventions are done in other subsectors, why not do the same in the fishing industry. If this is done, it will go a long way in enhancing our economy and provide jobs for the teeming population of unemployed youths,” Abiante posited.
He said Ghana, China and Norway have separate ministries for the fishing industry, while the reverse is the case in Nigeria.
“There has not been any deliberate intervention towards the development of the fishing industry in the country and this is very unfortunate,” Abiante said.
The lawmaker equally said that while other sectors had Federal Governnment’s interventions, fishery is neglected. He therefore called for proper intervention in the fishing industry, to properly reposition the sector for the growth of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP).
“Our advocacy therefore is that fishery subsector should have intervention, this can provide enough revenue for the country better than the oil and gas sector,” Abiante stressed.
The legislator admitted that there has been insecurity challenges in the nation, including the Lake Chad environment for the past decade, which he said affected economic activities along that axis, but insisted that proper attention has not been given to fishery in the country.
On his part, the National President of FISON, Dr Agbabiaka Lukman Adegoke said he regretted that Nigeria with about two hundred million people imports over N1.1million metric tonnes of fish annually to its over 3.5 metric tonnes demand for fish consumption to make up for its deficit in that area. This,he said has heightened social vices in the country.
Adegoke said the only way to avert this is for the Federal Governnment to set up transformational programmes to tap the potentials that abound in the fishery industry. He said FISON is ready to support the nation in that regard.
He urged the lawmakers to put a framework in motion to uplift the fishery industry, noting that such step will go a long way in tackling food insecurity now prevalent in the country.
Earlier in his opening remarks,the chairman of the occasion, Sen. Adamu Abdullahi had said that Rivers State as river-logged State has no reason for not being pacesetters in fish production.
He stressed that since there is no state that does not have a river, the onus is on us to give proper attention to fisheries in the country.
Highlight of the event was conferment of honourary awards on eight distinguished Nigerians.
