EXCLUSIVE: AGIP TO RESUPPLY FINGERLINGS TO DELTA

The Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited (NAOC) is to supply another set of fingerlings to fish farmers in Delta State, after the company had supplied about 100,000 stocks, 60 percent of which were said to be fries and consequently rejected.

INSIGHT can exclusively and authoritatively report that the expected new supplies is part of efforts by the company to wholly fulfill its corporate social responsibilities and strengthen its almost severed relationship with the state government after what could be described as a failed deal.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Austine Chikezie has confirmed the prospect of the new supply which is expected to be delivered and distributed to farmers in the state in a no distant time.

In an interview during the distribution of motorcycles to extension agents in Asaba, the Commissioner said the expected new supply is in line with his assurance that the state government will effectively liaise with the management of the oil company to ensure it makes amend for the rejected fish stock it earlier supplied farmers in the state.

Recall that the state GOVERNMENT had rejected a total of 60,000 fish stock supplied by NAOC last week Tuesday, accusing the company of subverting a deal it reached with it.

In what now qualifies as a failed deal, both parties had agreed that NAOC would supply a total of 100,000 fingerlings which were billed for distribution to fish farmers drawn across the three senatorial districts of the state on a scale of 1,000 each.

The company had, in the week preceding the rejected supply, delivered about 30,000 fingerlings which the state government distributed to farmers in the state under the supervision of the ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, with an assurance that the remaining 70,000 stocks will be delivered last week Tuesday.

Things however turned sour when the Fishery Officer of NOAC, Mr. Fidelis Agwumafa, who delivered the products, brought about 70,000 stocks, 60,000 of which were said to be fries (less than a week old stock).

Chikezie had told newsmen at Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state, that he was not pleased with the development which, he said, was the second in two successive weeks, insisting that the benefitting farmers cannot take with such tender stock.

“You can see them (the stocks). They are fries and not fingerlings. I won’t allow any farmer to go home with that, because the mortality rate will be too high. They are about 60,000 of them (fries) which means they (NAOC) brought only about 10,000 (fingerlings)”, the Commissioner had said.

But Agwumafa, the NAOC Fishery Officer, refuted Chikezie’s claim and explained that the rejected 60,000 stocks were actually fingerlings, while the 10,000 others were of a jumbo size.

“The variation in sizes is what is causing this (rejection). The bigger size is a jumbo, while others are fingerlings. We have given these ones to farmers before; they are very strong and they won’t die. These are neither fries nor post fries, they are fingerlings”, Agwumafa had claimed.

Nonetheless, the commissioner had urged the expecting beneficiaries to remain calm, noting that government will effectively liaise with the management of the oil company to ensure that the expected stock size and number is made available to them.

SOURCE: JOSHUA ERUBAMI