By John Oba
Abuja
Chairman, International Fish Resources Park (IFRP),MrOlusegunMogbojuri, on Wednesday in Abuja said Nigeria was on a sure path to become self-sufficient in fish production.
Mogbojuri said this in an interview on the sideline of the presentation of the 2013 Malta Maritime Summit report to the leader of Nigeria’s delegation, Oba David Olateru-Olagbegi of Owo kingdom.
He said IFRP, haven signed a memorandum of understand with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was going to establish six fish resources parks across the geo-political zones of the country.
Mogbojuri put the capacity of each park at 2500 to 3000 factory units with a production capacity of 200 thousand tonnes of fish when fully operational.
Mogbojuri, who is also the agricultural attaché to the consulate of Malta in Nigeria said the parks would empower no fewer than one million persons as it would simplify aquaculture for citizen to produce fish.
He said environmental and climate change were global issues saying the parks were going to provide means of producing fish in uplands and secured environment as it will not depend on the water bodies.
He said while oil spill in the Niger-Delta region was being tackled, the exigency of the moment was rescue of fish production via other technologies that could guarantee sufficient production.
The chairman said IFRP was a mandate from Malta’s consul to Nigeria which will strengthen the bilateral relationship between both countries.
He said Malta as a maritime nation has a lot of endowments and expertise in maritime and fisheries which Nigeria can benefit from.
IES-GMB, a Germany company had offered to finance the project in Nigeria with two billion Euros saying that there was room for more financiers so as to achieve full industrialisation of the sub-sector.
Earlier, while presenting the report, Mogbojuri appreciated the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Federal College of Fisheries, Lagos and the University of Abuja which he said were the host institutions.
He said IFRP intends to help with modern teaching and research facilities that can help in technology upscale in the institutions.
“I am excited looking forward to more achievement as Nigeria is on the path to join leagues of nations that are self-sufficient in fish production’’, he said.
He said that the 2014 Malta Maritime Summit which is being organised by Malta University Holding Company, Valleta and the Honourary Consul of Malta, Lagos, will hold from November 29 to December 6, 2014