NAN-AE-11
Scheme
By Kabir Muhammad
Abuja, May 16, 2017 (NAN) FCT Minister Muhammad Bello has expressed the support of Federal Capital Territory Administration ((FCTA) for the success of the Federal Government’s initiative on the development of cage aquaculture (fish farming) in the territory.
Bello gave the assurance when Mr Dolapo Bright, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Economic Management Team, visited him on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that he was happy that FCT and four states were selected by the Federal Government for the development of aquaculture project.
The minister noted that the programme was in line with the Federal Government’s economic diversification efforts, aimed at creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.
“FCT will be interested in the three levels of the project, which include locating some of the fish cage aquaculture projects in accessible bodies of water for the purpose of serving as tourist attractions.
“We are also interested in establishing economic empowerment projects for residents of the rural areas and developing others as entrepreneurship ventures for youths in the territory.
“We are happy that FCT has been selected to be among the states that will develop the pilot scheme of this project, which we consider to be a very important focal point for job creation,” he said.
Bello, however, expressed concern over indiscriminate fishing activities at the Jabi Lake and directed the Department of Fisheries to regulate the size of net used for fishing in order not depopulate the fishes in water body.
In his remarks, Bright said that the aqua culture project was part of the social investment programme of the current administration.
According to him, the project, which will be financed by the World Bank, is designed as part of the efforts at diversifying the economy, create job and ensure fish production for protein.
He decried the situation where the nation was spending more than 1 billion US dollars annually on importation of fish despite availability of the resources to ensure its self-sufficiency in fish production.(NAN)
KM/OSA/DUA
Edited by Shittu Obassa/Dada Ahmed