Gov Alia decries epileptic nature of fishery department in Benue

The Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has decried the epileptic nature of the Fishery Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the state and pledged to revamp it to function well.

Governor Alia made this known Monday July 24, 2023, when a delegation at the National Institute for Fresh Water Fisheries (NIFFR), New Bossa, Niger State, paid a courtesy call on him at Government House, Makurdi.
The Governor disclosed that the establishment of “Fish Farm Estates and Training Facilities” in the State to train Benue fish farmers, especially the youths, by NIFFR would showcase its importance in the socio-economic and health of the nation, which he said cannot be overemphasised.

According to him, Benue State, under his administration, will give the Institute the necessary support to establish the fish farm estates and training facilities, hoping that the presence of NIFFR in the state will equally boost the activities of the Fishery Department in the state.

“On behalf of the Government and good people of Benue, I must commend your prompt coming to the State for this interaction, which I hope will yield fruitful results. I am aware of the fact that your Institute is saddled with the task of ensuring self-sufficiency in fish production in Nigeria through the exploitation of inland water resources”.

“I also understand that you have been doing this very effectively over the years and have established outstations across Nigeria and trained many youths, including the Niger Delta youths, after the amnesty program of President Yar’Adua”.

“Benue State, as the name goes, has the river Benue and several others like the river Katsina-Ala, the river Konshisha, the Aya, the Agatu, and several other tributaries of these big rivers. Because of our geographical location as a watershed region in Nigeria, Benue is drained by several rivers, which we believe have a lot of aquatic potential, especially in fish production”.

“Finally, it is worth stressing that we are an agrarian state and The Food Basket Of The nation, and we intend to ‘add fish to this basket’, with your cooperation and support”, said the Governor.

Earlier, the Executive Director, National Institute For Fresh Water Fisheries (NIFFR), Dr. Attahiru Mohammed Sule, said they were in the state to seek partnership with the State government for the establishment of “Fish Farm Estates” across the 23 local government areas of the state, where a lot of youths would be trained and engaged in the sector for fish farming and marketing to be effectively self-reliant.

He said the components to be established in the local governments will trigger the training of potential beneficiaries to provide the vital roles that are needed to boost fish farming in the state, and he congratulated the Governor for the massive support he received from Benue people during the 2023 General Elections in the country.