Fish Shortage: Nasarawa Govt Supports Fishing Communities With 25,000 Fingerlings

LAFIA – In an effort towards revitalising the fisheries sector of the state, the Nasarawa State Government has empowered the fishing communities in Doma Local Government Area with 25,000 fingerlings of the Heterotis fish specie in order to tackle fish shortage in the area.

Speaking at the Doma Dam during the handing over of the fingerlings to the Heads of the communities, the Director General of the state’s Human Capital Development Agency, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman said that the gesture by the state government was to ensure that all residents of the state both in urban and rural areas enjoy the dividends of democracy.

She narrated that there had been complaints of shortage of fish by the fishermen and women in the area which necessitated the state government to take the proactive step of empowering them with the 25,000 Heterotis fish fingerlings.

While noting that the empowerment is in its first phase to pave way for the supply of other species of fish fingerlings in the coming phases, the Director General of the HCD Agency said in order to achieve the desired results from the initiative, the state government has placed a ban on all forms of fishing activities in the Doma Dam for the next six months.

She further commended the efforts of the State’s Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Human Capital Development Agency, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe for his consistent support to all staff of the Agency which had continued to help them to deliver on their assignments to positively touch the lives of residents across the state.

She added, “We are here to witness the first phase of revitalizing the Doma Dam, and as you witnessed earlier, the 25,000 fingerlings Heterotis species have been released into the Dam.

“This is a low maintenance specie of fish and one of its core responsibility is to clean up the Dam to further prepare it for other species to be able to live and reproduce in the Doma Dam.

“The people of the area are happy. They have pledged to support us because now, it is going to be a closed season for six months and they have agreed that there will be no fishing activity within that period of six months. The government on its own part is looking at other alternatives for economic activities for the people which would involve trading and farming.

“There has been shortage of fish, so boosting the fish here in Doma Dam is of great value to the people.

“This is done solely for the people. They are the ones that stand to benefit the most and we are hoping that we will see increased fishing activities that will yield economic growth for the people of the area and Nasarawa State in general.”

On his part, the Chairman of Doma LGA, Jonathan Addra who was represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Ahmed Ibrahim while thanking the state government for the laudable initiative, urged the residents of the area to give the needed support to the state’s Human Capital Development Agency to achieve its aims and objectives of improving their livelihoods.

Also speaking, the Nasarawa State Chairman of Fisheries Cooperative, Bashir Mohammed Umar, said for over a year, the association had been worried over the scarcity of fish across the state, adding that the support by the state government will greatly help to reduce the sufferings of fishermen and women in the state.

“Our people have been traveling far away from the state to look for fish, but with this lovely initiative by the State’s Human Capital Development Agency, we are confident that in the coming months, we will be having enough fish that can serve the entire residents of the state,” he added.

Earlier, the District Head of Ohina Angwan Agatu in Doma Dam community, Yakubu Igyageyi who spoke on behalf of the other communities in the area, thanked the Nasarawa State government for the support which is aimed at boosting fishing activities in area.

He, however appealed for food stuffs and other essential commodities from the government in order to reduce their challenges during the six months waiting period.