Fishermen in the coastal states of the Niger Delta region have said that they too deserve federal government’s compensation to offset their damages caused by militants activities in their areas.

The National President of the Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN, Rt. Rev. Godknows .M. Nifeipiri who stated this in a chat with The Tide in his office in Port Harcourt said that the fishermen in the coastal Niger Delta States have been deprived of their occupation as a result of militants activities and stress the need for compensation both in cash and in kind by the federal government.

Rev Nifeipiri stated that the compensation became necessary following the amnesty granted to militants arguing that if the militants are granted amnesty, the affected of their activities should also be considered.

According to him “these militants whose activities have rendered a lot of these fishermen jobless and without families are now granted amnesty and to be rehabilitated, then what about those ones who suffered as a result of their activities? We too should be compensated.

Rev. Nifeipiri noted that the swamps where the militants are living are the same places that fishermen do their fishing and fish farming business that resulted in the production of sea foods for the nation but regretted that these places were burnt down by militants.

“The fishermen lost their lives, properties and fishing gears like boats, engines, nets among others to militants and their activities.

Meanwhile, most of these gears were bought with money from micro credit loans”, he stated.

The ARFAN President therefore called on the federal government to not only pay compensation to the affected ARFAN members and families but also authorise the management of the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank Ltd, (NACRDB) to write off all fishing loans granted to ARFAN members in the coastal states.

He urged president Yar’Adua to authorize oil companies whose activities have caused havoc on fisherman communities as a result of oil spillage to pay their due compensation according to due process of the law.

Rev. Nifeipiri further appealed to president Yar’Adua to include the Artisan fishermen in International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Project Programme as well as ECOWAS Agricultural Project and involve them in private partnership in industries fishing.