Bill To Establish Federal College of Fishery, Passes 2nd Reading

Senate has passed for second reading, a bill seeking to establish the Federal College of Fishery and Aquatic Science in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

This followed the presentation of the general principles of the bill by the sponsor, Senator Wadada Aliyu at plenary in Abuja.

Presenting the lead debate, senator Aliyu said the bill seeks to amend the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Act 2004 to establish the Federal College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences in Umaisha in Toto local government area of Nassarawa.

He said the bill would bolster the development of fisheries and aquatic sector in Nigeria for the purpose of enhancing food security, economic growth and sustainable management of aquatic resources.

According to him, Nigeria which is endowed with abundant aquatic resources with vast potential for fisheries and aquatic science development,is, however, facing various challenges.

He listed the challenges to include inadequate skilled manpower, outdated technology, limited research and absence of training institutions for the sector.

He said establishing the institution would be a strategic intervention to address the challenges and harness full potential of Nigeria’s aquatic resources.

He said the college shall have the mandate to provide high quality education, research and training in fisheries and aquatic sciences.

Wadada said the college shall collaborate with relevant stakeholders including government agencies, research institutions, industry players and international partners to enhance its effectiveness and impact.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio after the bill passed second reading referred it to the Committee on Agriculture for further legislative input and to return back to plenary in two weeks.

James Itodo, Edited By Grace Namiji