REV NNOMMO BASSEY, (LEFT), DIRECTOR, HEALTH OF MOTHER EARTH FOUNDATION PRESENTING FISHING NET, FOOD ITEMS PALLIATIVES FOR COVID19 RELIEF TO ELDER INYANG EKONG, SECRETARY, AKWA IBOM CHAPTER, ARTISAN FISHERMEN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, A MEMBER OF THE FISHNET ALLIANCE AT IBENO FISHING SETTLEMENT IN AKWA IBOM.
FishNet Alliance on Saturday distributed palliatives to fishermen in Akwa Ibom to cushion the adverse impact of the COVID-19 on the livelihoods.
FishNet Alliance is a coalition of artisanal fishing
groups across Africa supported by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), a
Nigerian Environmental Rights focused Non Government Organisation.
Some 100 fishermen who also suffered a fire outbreak at
Ibeno, a coastal fishing settlement benefited from the gesture by FishNet
Alliance.
The group advocated support for fishermen in coastal
communities across Nigeria whose livelihoods have been adversely impacted by COVID-19
and other human-induced environmental factors.
The call was made during a Community Dialogue hosted by HOMEF
and attended by members of the FishNet Alliance.
The Alliance also provided fishnets in addition to food
items to the Ibeno fisherfolks who earlier this year, suffered a fire outbreak
that destroyed their homes and fishing gears.
Speaking, Rev Nnimmo Bassey, Director of HOMEF noted that
the beneficiaries were selected from fishing locations along the Atlantic coastline
in Ibeno, Eket, Esit Eket, Mkpat Enin,and Onna Local Government Areas of Akwa
Ibom.
Bassey holds a 2014 National Honours of Member
of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) for environmental activism
He said the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions
on movement have seriously impacted fisherfolks and farmers in this community
who have no formal jobs and rely on their daily fishing expeditions for
sustenance.
Bassey explained that
fishermen are essential to both local and international economies, but unfortunately,
are among the most vulnerable groups especially in the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic.
According to him, the continuous pollution of
the Niger Delta by oil and gas related activities are unacceptable and
government must heed to the call for the cleanup of the entire polluted Niger
Delta communities.
He emphasized that government
must recognize and restore the dignity and rights of the people of the coastal
communities to a decent livelihoods as fishers, fish processors and marketers..
“Looking back to the incidence of dead fish
along the coastlines of Niger Delta between February and May 2020, it has been
trauma for thousands of fishermen who were thrown out of their means of livelihood.
“It is regrettable that
months after shoals of fish died in the
area there has been no definitive statement from government about what killed
the fish and what actions have been taken to avoid repeat of such occurrences.
“It should be recalled that
the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) had reported that
there were 1,300 oil spills in the Niger Delta between 2018 or 2019.
“It is astonishing that we
could have an average of 5 oil spills a day in the Niger Delta without
government declaring a state of environmental emergency in the entire region.
This is unacceptable,” Bassey lamented.
The chairman of the FishNet
Alliance in Akwa Ibom, Rev Sam Ayadi, called on the government to consult and
engage fishermen in the drafting of policies to protect the aquatic ecosystems.
The consultation, he said would
enable government come up with all-inclusive policies that ensure the
safeguarding of their rivers, creek and seas as well as guarantying their
livelihoods as fishermen.
He also called on the
government to hold the companies that are polluting their environment
accountable for their acts.
At the end of the Dialogue,
stakeholders resolved in a communiqué and demanded that fishermen should be recognised as frontline
aquatic ecosystem defenders and should be engaged in policy issues
They
requested that government should delineate marine protected areas in suitable
locations and support fishermen to lead efforts to protect such areas.
The
meeting pledged that fishermen are ready to collaborate with government in any
effort geared towards mangrove ecosystem restorations as that would enhance fisheries
recovery in the region.
They also advocated that government
should put adequate measures in place to help fishermen during and after the COVID-19
pandemic.
“Traditional
knowledge of fishing practices, including those that help mitigate climate
change impacts should be adopted in policies.
“Polluting corporations
should be held liable for the harms created and should be required to clean-up their
pollution and to duly compensate the affected people and communities.
“Fishermen should unite and
engage in further dialogues to equip members with skills to serve as
environmental defenders and to take actions to mitigate climate change,” the
group said
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