Listen to story here
The Director General of the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION), Rear Admiral Thaddeus Christopher Udofia (rtd), Ph.D., has outlined a five-pillar strategy to revive Nigeria’s declining fisheries, protect coastal livelihoods and tackle food insecurity.
He presented the roadmap in a keynote address at the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) National Conference, held at the Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos. The conference theme was “Sustainable Fishing in Nigeria: Pathways to Growth, Food Security and Coastal Livelihoods.”
Udofia warned that Nigeria’s marine resources are under pressure and called for a shift from vulnerability to disciplined execution.
“We cannot expect to harvest tomorrow what we ruthlessly destroy, allow others to destroy, or neglect to nurture today.
“Nigeria must boldly chart a new course defined by disciplined execution and measurable performance indicators.”
The five pillars include; unified regulatory enforcement via maritime security agencies, port economic regulators and fisheries departments should harmonise their mandates. Udofia said the Nigerian Navy’s gains against piracy and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing should be extended across the domestic fisheries sector.
Data-driven policy; the Federal Government should back institutions such as the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and IMION to produce credible fish stock data. Catch limits, closed seasons and marine protected areas, he said, must rest on science and be strictly enforced.
Aggressive aquaculture transition; he recommended that Nigeria should move from unpredictable wild capture to technology-driven aquaculture, including modern cage culture in coastal lagoons. Investment in cold-chain facilities, processing technology and training would cut post-harvest losses and turn fishing into a wealth-generating enterprise for women and youth.
He equally called for advanced intelligence monitoring, stressing that IMION wants data-driven marine spatial planning backed by strong Blue Economy knowledge systems. This includes Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), satellite surveillance and stricter catch quotas, so industrial fleets leave room for fish stocks and coastal communities to recover.
He equally canvassed Community-led management, stressing that top-down enforcement alone will not deliver sustainability. Government should institutionalise Community-Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) by giving local cooperatives legal co-management rights. Communities with a vested stake, he argued, become the first line of defence against destructive practices.
Together, he said that the pillars aim to drive growth through Nigeria’s expanding Blue Economy while closing the national food deficit.
