I want all my Awori friends to please come and explain to me why they have not built a thriving fisheries industry in Lagos State

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Nigeria has got to be the only country in the world with 853km of Atlantic coastline and is yet still a net importer of fish. For me, the absence of a fishing industry in Nigeria highlights the effects of this atrocious oil doom and shameless dependency on crude oil

[2] Nigeria currently has a deficit of 2.1m tonnes of fish annually as she consumes 3.2m tonnes and shamelessly only produces 1.1m tonnes. Our dismal output comes from a combination of aquaculture, artisanal and industrial fishing

[3] Apparently, we have some of the largest mackerel stocks in the world but alas, we have not deemed it fit to tap into this resource. Many of the countries we import fish from have the same coastal waters as us

[4] Among the countries that export mackerel to Nigeria include Russia, Faroe Island, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Mauritania. Sadly, this does not shame us. Even tiny Norway uses us as a dumping ground for their stockfish

[5] In Nigeria, fish is an important part of the household diet, making up around 40% of the country’s protein intake. Our fish consumption is about 13.3 kg per person annually. Just imagine the potential this sector could offer to our economy if we developed it and became a major exporter across the African continent

[6] Sectors where we should be making a killing include tinned fish, fishmeal for livestock feed, fish oil and frozen fish. All our landlocked neighbours like Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, etc should be wholly dependent on Nigeria for their fish supplies

[7] If you want to see a country taking fisheries seriously look at Russia. They plan to double the revenue the sector generates by 2024, targeting an annual income of $8bn annually. Ask yourself how much help an extra $8bn would be to the Nigerian economy

[8] Now, I am going to call out all my Awori friends here. Please come and explain to us why there is not a world class fisheries industry in Lagos. Your forefathers were fishermen, so all you needed to do is upgrade the sector and attract investment

[9] In the Niger Delta, they have the excuse that their rivers, creeks and access to the Atlantic Ocean has been polluted. There is no oil pollution in Lagos State, so I think it is totally unacceptable for our Awori people not to invest in their local fisheries industry

[10] Can someone tell me for instance what stops several of those prominent Lagos Island families from approaching say any of say our evangelical pastorprueners, asking them to invest their millions in a boatyard that manufactures fishing trawlers. Do you know that Okada companies Gokada, ORide and Max.ng invested $200m in the Lagos motorcycle tax industry? Surely, if money can be raised for that kind of investment, it can be found for fisheries too.