World Earth Day: Fishermen blame govt. for poor harvest, call for speedy restoration of rivers in Niger Delta

Fishermen in Rivers state have called on the Federal and state governments to give immediate response to the deteriorating nature of rivers in the Niger Delta region as well as riverine communities in Nigeria.

The fishermen made this call during a two-day interactive meeting organized by Home of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), while blaming the government for the losses and poor harvest they always record.

The event which began on Thursday, April 22 and ended on Friday, April 23 had a representative of the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, Mrs Nimi Elele, Human/Environmental Rights Defender, Comr. Celestine Abobari and delegates from the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD).

Speaking during the meeting at Kono community in Khana Local Government Area, Deedum Mercy, a periwinkle farmer, complained that the presence of the nipa palms have affected women from picking periwinkles that will be enough for sales.

Read also: NiMet partners Red Cross Society to tackle Climate change challenges

She said, ‘’I have been picking periwinkles for 25 years. Before now, when these leaves [nipa palms] were not around, we always enjoy picking periwinkles. I used this isam [periwinkles] to train my children but since these leaves started growing, I can’t make great sales and it has affected my children’s education.

‘’Before, we pick 2 bags of periwinkle a day but now before you get one custard, it will be very difficult. Government should help us to remove those nipa palms.’’

Also, a fisherman, Lenwinee Nuka, added that for fishermen, harvests have been very poor since the nipa palms started growing.

He said that the nipa palms have also affected the mangroves from growing, thus, affecting smaller fishes from feeding and growing.

Nuka raised alarm of how oysters and crabs are almost disappearing from the rivers as a result of the presence of nipa palms and oil spill.

He added, ‘’We have been seeing all these gatherings but nothing has happened. We are suffering in this local environment. I am begging the government to help us, at least let us gain something from them.’’

Other fishermen at Bundu-Ama community in Port Harcourt local government area, also joined their voices to call on the government for immediate action, saying that they are tired of the usual promises.

The Chairman of the Fishermen Association in Bundu, Nnadi Marcus said that illegal refining of crude oil, bunkering and explosion that results from the local refining technology also known as kpo fire have destroyed rivers from having fishes.

He said, ‘’kpo fire has destroyed the rivers and the fishes in it. It has pursued all the fishes, we can’t fish like before. We are suffering and our children are hungry. Before, we can make 1000 naira per day but now it is very difficult.

‘’Fishing net also has become expensive. We beg the government to stop this kpo fire activities from this environment.’’

Another fisherman, Gowin Siyeofori, added that the Mangroves have also been destroyed with oil, saying that some production companies, like water proof companies throw their waste in the water.

He said, ‘’When fishermen try to cast their net to a deep place in the river, the waterproof will obstruct the net and some nets tear in the process. Before, we caught big fishes like Grunter, great grappler, grouper, barracuda, cat fish, sino and soul fish but now we can’t see them again.

‘’Sometimes we wonder if is not the same river or ask ourselves if God changed the river. The rivers are all polluted.’’

The women also mentioned that some sea foods like water snail, oyster and mudskipper are gradually going extinct.

They urged the government to provide basic amenities like potable water, toilets, security, roads, electricity and health centres for riverine communities.

Responding to these complains, Mrs Nimi Elele from the state’s ministry of Environment welcomed their pleas, urging them to build strong cooperation with the government.

Earlier, the Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey urged the fishermen to also strive to protect the mangroves, saying that most of them contribute in the destruction of the environment.

He said, ‘’If you protect the mangroves, you will get more fish. We need to access ourselves and discuss measures to help the environment and help the people. As a non-profit organization, our duty is to help raise our voices for you.

‘’The vital essence of our conversations have been to find out the stories that tell us the challenges fishermen are facing over the years and where they would like to see things change for themselves.

‘’One of the major problem affecting their fishing has been the nipa palm invasion. It makes it very difficult for them to fish.

‘’We are not an intervention agency, we are collecting stories in order to construct the imaginations and find out what guided the culture of environmental protection and then develop from there on what needs to be done.’’

Human/environmental rights defender based in the Niger Delta, Comr. Celestine Abobari, said that the World Earth Day is about preservation of the ecosystem.

‘’We are here to listen to their stories and to know the difference between fishing in the past and the present now. They have told us a lot of stories and some have even showed us that some things have gone extinct.

‘’Nipa palm have taken over mangroves and as long as we have this, we won’t have peace. These are one of the reasons the government set up Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) but still, nothing has been done to remove the nipa palms.

‘’If we don’t attack it now, they will be no fish in the future,’’ he added.

The coordinator of the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, said ‘’when you reflect on the whole essence of celebrating World Earth Day, you will understand that it is all about the environment which is the foundation of our existence.

‘’Without healthy environment, we cannot have a sustainable life. We can’t live a healthy life. We came here to interact with fishermen including women that pick periwinkles, to know their challenges and talk to them on what they feel is the changes they have seen overtime.

‘’They complained that they cannot catch fishes because of nipa palms. The essence of sustainable development is about partnership and that’s why it reflects on the 17 sustainable development goals. The academia is responsible for research and those research are supposed to drive home development agenda.

‘’Interacting with the fishermen is very key and after understanding these challenges, we can now go back to conceptualize the research that will address the problems of the people.’’