PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE ON THE CREATION OF “MINISTRY OF LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT”:

AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. PRESIDENT AND ALL SOUTHERN MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

A CALL FOR THE CREATION OF A RELATED MINISTRY OF FISHERIES AND FISH FARMING.

Mr. President Sir,

Yesterday, Nigerians welcomed with great admiration of your foresight and vision, the news of your directive for the immediate creation of a Ministry of Livestock Development seperate from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. We as Nigerians fully appreciate your quest to ameliorate the sufferings of the Nigerian masses through the implementation of carefully thought out policies and programs to make lite the heavy burden of survival and wind of hardship experienced across all segments of the Nation, in line with your renewed hope agenda.

Nigerians also understand your government’s emphasis on food production, and sustainable self reliance in that aspect, thus the re-echoing applause to your directive in the course of your recent meeting with the northern groups.

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However, I am driven by the same passion as you to ensure food security and reduced cost living, to demand that in the same spirit His Excellency should direct the immediate creation of a seperate Ministry of Fisheries Development and Fish farming. Sir, this demand is not borne out of sentiment nor a desire for conflict, but the genuine need to balance the equation of national food security and sustainable development trajectory.

The Northern parts of Nigerian have become famous for livestock breeding and production, so has the South been recognized for its abundance in potentials for fish farming and aquatic life development.

Mr. President must recognise that the call for the creation of the Ministry of Fisheries and Fish Farming didn’t just start today, but has been an age long agitation following the utter destruction of the Niger Delta aquatic life and bio-diversity brought about by the wanton destruction that accompanied oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities in our previously rich rivers, creeks and estuaries, driving away varieties of fishes and other aquatic lives and species native to our waterways. The people of Niger Delta region in particular whose homestead has continuously contributed over 80percent of the National GDP and ensured our unity, remain poor and deprived as most of our parents and rural dwellers now struggle to make ends meet, our traditional occupation now bastardised and our people driven out of their self employment.

We are not also ignorant of your earlier creation of the Ministry of Blue Economy” now in existence and which does not have anything to do directly with Fish Farming & Development, hence It is therefore, a plea not hinged on sentiments or jealousy, but a call to justice for the people of the South and Niger Delta in particular.

Mr. President must avert your presidential mind to the principle of Fairness, Justice & Equity consistently adopted in our Nation which some may say is in tandem with the mathematical concept of the balance equation “Whatever you do to the right, you also do to the left”, it is on this basis that amidst controversial circumstances the North-East Development Commission has been established, as a response to the aged long creation of the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC), and some now also clamor for the establishment of a South-East Development Commission. What is good for the goose, must sure be good for the gander, hence this speak.

As we Niger Deltans urge Mr. President for affirmative action in the direction of the Creation of a separate Ministry of Fisheries, I believe that at this point much now resides with Southern members of the National Assembly, whose responsibility it is to go creative in their lobbying to prevail on the Presidency to exercise discretion in favor of our people on this very important subject.

It is my considered opinion that to ensure food security we must have adequate means for sustainable production, processing, storage, and distribution of grains, tubers, vegetables, fruits, livestock, and indeed fish.

Thanks

Ayebakuro Igbeta Esq, ACIArb, LL.M, Ph.D(In-View).
A former National Legal Adviser of the IYC/Former SA. Media/Publicity to the MD/CEO of the ND DC (2019)/Former, Executive Secretary, Bayelsa State Centre for Youths Development.