Transport, Agriculture Ministries Battles Over Control Of Fisheries … As New Revenue Formula For Fishermen Is Underway

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By UbongAbasi Ise

Fishermen operating in Akwa Ibom State waters have been thrown into confusion as they wonder why the State Ministry of Transport and Petroleum Resources slams levies on them maintaining that the levy should have been collected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sufficiency instead of the former.
While addressing the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Sufficiency, Dr. Uduak Charles Udo-Inyang during fishery stakeholders meeting held in Uyo recently, head of Ghana fishing community in the state, Mr. Gideon Nathan, disclosed that agents from the State Ministry of Transport have been disturbing them to register their fishing vessels with their ministry and would tell them point blank that fishermen have nothing to do with the state Ministry of Agriculture.
Nathan revealed that revenue rates charged by Ministry of Transport and Petroleum Resources ranges from N15,000 to N40,000 depending on the size of the boats.
“Staff of Ministry of Transport and Petroleum Resources would come to tell us that there is nothing like Ministry of Agriculture in licensing, and if we are not registering with them, our boats would be seized.
Orman                                Udo-inyang
“We pay from N15,000 to N40,000 before they allow our canoes to go into the sea,” stressed the Akwa Ibom State-based Ghanaian fisherman.
Corroborating this claim, Mr. Monday Ogunyemi, who heads Yoruba fishing community in Ibeno, said that as mechanical fishermen, they are under intense pressure from the Ministry of Transport over levies while wondering whether the ministry has statutory responsibility over its Agriculture counterpart.
In his response, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Sufficiency, Dr. Uduak Charles Udo-Inyang assured the fishermen that licensing of boats is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport but that of Agriculture Ministry.
Supporting this position, Mr. Bassey Uwe Bassey, Director of Fisheries in Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sufficiency, cited the provisions of Section 1 and 2 of Inland Fishery Act of 1992 saying  that any commissioner or minister whose ministry has fishery  tied to it, assumes  responsibility over the fishery sector. Bassey noted that in Akwa Ibom State, fishery falls under the ambit of Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sufficiency while reminded the fishermen of their civic responsibility to license their boats.
However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sufficiency, in the meeting, had proposed a revenue collection formula in the state’s fisheries sector, and this is arranged into three categories with the rates ranging from N3,000 to N50,000.

Culled from The Sensor Newspaper

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