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Fishermen in Akwa Ibom State have lamented increasing attacks by pirates and militants operating within the coastal areas, saying it has become a hindrance to sustainable income generation and poverty alleviation activities
They said they have lost their fishing boats, outboard engines, and nets worth several millions of naira, a development they added, has affected the income of multipurpose cooperative society members in the area.
Bassey Etim, president of Nation Feeders Multipurpose Cooperative Society in Uruan local government area, a coastline community with people engaged in fishing, stated this during a one-day national agri-preneur training scheme organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in collaboration with state government, in Uyo.
Etim said the attacks apart from adversely affecting the income of their members, some members lost their lives while fishing. According to him, the absence of a modern drying machine is also hampering the growth of the cooperative society in the fight against poverty and wealth creation. He said their income was also affected by the activities of large-scale fishing businessmen who are suffocating small-scale fishing entrepreneurs.
“That is why we formed the cooperative to enable us embark on large-scale fishing,” he said, adding that the activities of the large-scale fishermen who buy off all fish products before we hit the sea were frustrating and hindering a thriving cooperative movement in the area.
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Etim, who was giving an account of how the grants by SMEDAN have been utilised in creating wealth and promoting small business, said they have been limited to subsistence fishing as they have been unable to get to the high sea as a result of their inability to compete with the large scale fishermen.
Also speaking, the president of Ukeme Otobong Multipurpose cooperative society in Esit Urua, Eket local government area, Mfonobong Abasiekong, said the grants given to the cooperatives have helped them to grow their businesses but appealed for assistance to enable them acquire either a tricycle or a mini-truck for the evacuation of oil palm fruits after they have been harvested.
She also solicited assistance in acquiring a modern oil palm processing facility to help them generate more income for members.
In her remarks, Lucy Ekpeyong, coordinator of SMEDAN in Akwa Ibom State, described cooperatives societies as the powerhouse of the rural economy.
She stressed the importance of record-keeping, being transparent in financial transactions and urged people to raise funds for their projects through shares allotment and investment savings as well as thrift services.
Presenting Wale Fasanya’s address, the director-general of the agency, reiterated the agency’s continued support for the agri-preneurs.
She lauded the Akwa Ibom state government for “unflinching support towards the growth of MSMEs in the state.”
Benefitting cooperative societies were drawn from Ibeno, Eket, Esit Eket, Uruan and Uyo local government areas.
