From Magnus Eze, Abuja
Fisheries output in Nigeria is currently far below demand for fish, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has said.
He said the country needed to bridge the gap of about two million metric tons from the over three million metric tons required, partly blaming illegal activities on the territorial waters with full connivance of Nigerian agencies for the low output.
He disclosed this during a meeting with the national committee on Harmonised Standard Operating Procedures (HSOP) in Abuja.
The minister lamented: “Our territorial waters are not policed to prevent illegal unregistered fishing. The Chinese, Russian and others are coming to Nigerian territorial waters and freely fishing.
“Part of the reports we got is that you hardly will see vessels that are arrested and brought to Nigeria on account of fishing illegally without permit on our territorial waters.
“Everyday, vessels come here, but everybody believes that, in Nigeria, you can bribe your way. They come with some dollars.
“They bribe your officers who are on the high sea, and then they fish as much as they want and they go back.”
He said this posed huge danger to local fishermen and women, but regretted that the Nigerian Navy that was to provide security for them had too many challenges and was not able to police the nation’s long coastal waterways.