Agriculture Minister, Akinwunmi Adesina Speaks on the Fishing Industry in Nigeria

Akinwunmi Adesina, Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2013, stated on Monday that producing healthy foods and creating wealth for Nigerians is his top priority. He made this declaration on Channels Television as he defended the circular released by his ministry on October 2013, which announced the restructuring of the fishing industry. The restructuring, he further explained was not a total ban on fish importation but a regulation of fish importation into the country. He said that the main idea was to develop and grow the industry within, explaining that aquaculture is a large industry for Nigeria by its massive water which goes beyond just fishing. He added that Nigeria should be a net exporter of many things as God has blessed the country with the natural endowment in land and water. The discussion led to the issue of the cleanliness of Nigeria’s waters. Mr. Adesina said that concerning that, several moves are currently being made by the FG through his ministry to clean up the waters including dredging the inland waters. The minister gave his assurance that all abandoned fishing terminals across the country will be revived. He stated, “The days of abandoning the fishing industry are over.”