ADMIRAL UDOFIA UNVEILS 5- PILLAR STRATEGY TO REVIVE NIGERIA’S FISHERIES, STRENGTHEN FOOD SECURITY
Admiral Udofia Unveils Five-Pillar Strategy to Revive Nigeria’s Fisheries, Strengthen Food Security
By Babatunde Aremu
The Director General of the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION), Rear Admiral Thaddeus Christopher Udofia (rtd), Ph.D., has unveiled a five-pillar strategic framework aimed at reviving Nigeria’s fisheries sector, protecting coastal livelihoods and addressing the country’s food security challenges.
Udofia presented the framework during his keynote address at the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) National Conference held at Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos.
The conference, with the theme, “Sustainable Fishing in Nigeria—Pathways to Growth, Food Security and Coastal Livelihoods,” provided a platform for stakeholders to examine the challenges confronting Nigeria’s fisheries industry and explore pathways for sustainable growth.
The IMION Director General warned that Nigeria could not continue to exploit its marine resources without putting measures in place to protect and replenish them.
“Let me be clear regarding sustainability: we cannot expect to harvest tomorrow what we ruthlessly destroy, allow others to destroy, or neglect to nurture today,” Udofia said.
He called for a shift from vulnerability to long-term sustainability through disciplined implementation, measurable performance indicators and stronger institutional coordination.
According to him, the proposed framework would support Nigeria’s emerging Blue Economy while creating opportunities for coastal communities, women and young people.
The five strategic pillars proposed by IMION are as follows:
Unified Regulatory Enforcement
Udofia called for urgent harmonisation of the responsibilities of maritime security agencies, port economic regulators and fisheries authorities.
He noted the successes recorded by the Nigerian Navy in combating piracy and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, stressing that such efforts should be systematically extended across the domestic fisheries sector.
The IMION chief also advocated policies based on credible scientific data rather than assumptions.
He urged the Federal Government to empower research institutions such as the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and IMION to conduct reliable fish-stock assessments.
He said policies on catch limits, closed fishing seasons and marine protected areas should be based on scientific evidence and effectively enforced.
Udofia advocated a major transition from unpredictable wild-capture fishing to modern aquaculture.
He identified the deployment of technologically driven cage-culture systems in suitable coastal lagoons as one avenue for increasing fish production and contributing to national food security.
He further called for investment in cold-chain infrastructure, modern processing facilities and institutional training to reduce post-harvest losses and improve the economic value of the fisheries sector.
According to him, such measures could transform fishing from a largely subsistence activity into a more sustainable and wealth-generating enterprise, particularly for women and youths.
Advanced Intelligence and Monitoring
The IMION DG stressed the importance of accurate data and effective monitoring in managing Nigeria’s marine resources.
He advocated the deployment of advanced Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), satellite surveillance and stronger enforcement of catch quotas.
He said such measures would help ensure that industrial fishing activities do not undermine the ability of marine ecosystems and coastal communities to regenerate
Udofia also advocated greater involvement of coastal communities in fisheries management.
He argued that government enforcement alone would not guarantee sustainable fishing, noting that coastal communities possess generations of knowledge and experience of the marine environment.
He therefore called for the institutionalisation of Community Based Fisheries Management with local Cooperative Societies given Legitimate role .
