Fish Scarcity Hits Asaba, Environs

Published

15 years ago

November 24, 2010

Indication that the price of food items may increase in Delta as the Christmas approaches has heightened as fish scarcity has hit Asaba, the state capital.

The price of the commodity has already reacted to the development, jumping from N8,200 per carton to N9,700.

The situation has also pushed up the prices of frozen chicken and turkey with a carton of chicken selling now at N7,500 as against previous rate of N6,800.

The turkey specie now goes for N8,500, up from N7,500 for a carton.

Some of the fish sellers, who spoke with newmen in an interview, said that they had never experienced such scarcity in the last 10 years.

The leader of fish sellers in Asaba main market, Mrs Nneli Ibiagulu, suspected hoarding as reason for the scarcity, which was first noticed last week.

She said that cold room operators might have decided to hoard the commodity due to prevailing speculations that fish price would be increased in January.

Ibiagulu said that the fish dealers were speculating that ships had stopped bringing fish into the country.

She said that in her more than 10 years in the business, “I have never experienced this type of fish scarcity”.

“Our distributors in the last one week have been telling us that there are no fish at the wharf where they normally bring them from,” Ibiagulu said.

She said that the little quantity of fish currently being sold in the city were bought in from Onitsha but at an exorbitant rate.

She added that the situation had adversely affected them.

“On a normal day, when the price was stable, I sell as much as seven cartons in a day, but with the present scarcity and price increase, I hardly sell one carton now,” Ibiagulu added.

Some fish consumers in the town decried the scarcity of the commodity and blamed it on businessmen engaged in “great profiteering”.

Mr Jibem Simtua, who said he eats only fish in his meals, said that the scarcity of the item was artificial and called for government intervention.

Another fish consumer, Mr Etim Nsa, said he had resorted to eating lots of vegetables and snails in place of fish, disclosing that he does not eat meat.

Meanwhile, a cold room operator at the Ogbeogonogo market in Asaba, who preferred anonymity, said that there had been scarcity of fish for sometime.

He said that he had not had stock for few months now, adding that he hoped that the market situation would improve and fish made available for consumers.

Stakeholders In Delta Seek Stronger GBV Action, Women’s Leadership

Published

12 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Stakeholders in Delta State convened in Asaba for a leadership workshop organised by Otdel Health Heritage and Environmental Initiative (OHHEI), focusing on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

OHHEI Project Director, Mr. Peter Olayinka, represented by a consultant, Juliet Obiajulu, urged participants to contribute meaningfully toward advancing women’s leadership and combating GBV across communities in the state.

He said the workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to influence policies, challenge harmful cultural norms, and reinforce initiatives designed to prevent and respond to GBV.

Olayinka said women often faced bias even when they occupied leadership positions, and stressed that gender diversity improved the quality of decision-making and promoted innovation and accountability in governance structures.

Speaking, the Chairperson of the Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Mr Eris Jewo-Ibi, identified cultural norms, domestic responsibilities, political resistance, and grassroots barriers as constraints to women’s participation.

Delta State GBV Desk Officer, Mrs. Rosemary Okpuno, emphasised that effective decision-making required women’s perspectives, adding that inclusion remained critical to addressing persistent gender-based challenges.

Voke Angbagh of the Delta State Ministry of Justice outlined penalties for rape and called for the establishment of special courts to handle sexual offences cases.

Angbagh said frequent adjournments delayed justice for survivors, stressing that dedicated sexual offences courts would ensure timely trials and stronger protection for victims in Delta State.

The Tide’s source reports that facilitators identified cultural acceptance of violence, unequal power relations, discrimination, poverty, limited education, and low self-esteem as major drivers of GBV.

They emphasised that violence and exclusion resulted in social, physical and emotional harm, imposed economic costs, reinforced harmful stereotypes, and widened existing gender inequalities.

The source also reports that OHHEI, a local non-profit organisation, focuses on education, health, environment, and social justice, promoting sustainable development initiatives with gender equality at the centre of its interventions.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Assembly Urges More Private Investments In Agriculture

Published

12 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Committee on Nutrition and Food Security has called for more private sector investments in agriculture.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Moses Essien, made the call when the committee visited Aviclaire Farms, a private establishment in Usung Idem, Uruk Usoh in Abak Local Government Area.

Essien, who represents Ibiono Ibom in the Assembly, commended the Management of the farm for partnering an NGO, ECEWS, to promote private investment in agriculture.

He commended the partners for adopting climate-smart agriculture initiatives in their operations, adding that such move would promote food security.

“Your interest in using transformative intervention to promote food security is a veritable way of complementing the efforts of the state government,” he said.

The lawmaker continued that adopting practical climate-smart agriculture model would help to generate employment, improve nutrition outcomes, and strengthen food sufficiency.

He further said he was impressed with the strides recorded by the partners, saying, “your investment has created jobs for no fewer than 2,000 youths.

”You are an example of an environment-friendly investor. I urge Akwa Ibom residents to embrace environment-friendly and technology-driven agriculture models,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, ECEWS, Dr. Andy Eyo, who conducted the committee round the farm, said the collaboration was conceived to demonstrate the viability of climate-smart farming in ensuring food sufficiency.

Eyo said the farm, which commenced operations with four greenhouses, had expanded to 14 within two years, and currently supplying high-quality produce to major markets in Uyo and neighbouring communities.

He said ECEWS was exploring cooperative frameworks to enable rural farmers and women’s groups to adopt greenhouse technology for sustainable livelihoods.

In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Aviclaire Farms, Mrs. Victoria Eyo, said the controlled-environment ensured precision cultivation and consistent yields.

She further said the farm served as a capacity-building centre for students, interns, and agri-business trainees.

Niger Delta

C’River Suspends Taskforce Activities Over Drivers’ Protest

Published

12 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Cross River State Government has suspended all taskforce activities connected to commercial transportation and ticketing across the state.

The State Governor, Bassey Otu, announced the suspension at an emergency stakeholders meeting on Friday in Calabar.

It would be recalled that commercial drivers in Calabar metropolis took to streets on Thursday to protest alleged multiple taxation and extortion by government agencies.

During the protest, the drivers alleged that taskforce groups claiming to represent the state government openly harassed and extorted them.

Represented at the meeting by Ekpenyong Akiba, his Special Adviser on General Duties, Otu said the suspension would subsist pending further review of the situation.

The Governor stated that the state government did not commission anyone to extort drivers in the name of task force.

He urged commercial drivers and other road users to remain law-abiding while government worked out a lasting solution.

On his part, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Calabar Metropolis, Mr. Sunday Dennis, expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield positive results.

He said the meeting had provided an opportunity for the aggrieved commercial drivers to present their concerns directly to the state government.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Unified Drivers Association, Mr. Nta Henshaw, described the harassment on drivers as worrisome, and urged the state government to be decisive in resolving the matter.