The Managing Director of Mariplus Services Ltd, Femi Olawoore has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately dismantle the nation’s fish import quota system, describing it as a corrupt and mismanaged policy that is deepening food insecurity and pushing basic protein out of reach for millions.
In an open letter to the President titled “A Cry from the Waters: An Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Fish Trade,” Olawoore warned the country is facing a “nutritional emergency.” He argued that fish, one of the most affordable and widely consumed sources of animal protein, is rapidly becoming a luxury due to policy failures.
Citing annual national consumption of between 3.2 and 3.6 million metric tons against domestic production of only about 1.1 million tons, Olawoore stated that imports are unavoidable.
He contended that the current quota regime, designed to balance local production with controlled imports, has been “hijacked by private and greedy interests,” transforming quota access into a tradable commodity that shuts out legitimate operators and inflates market prices.
The business leader highlighted additional pressures on the sector, including unstable foreign exchange rates, soaring freight costs, and high interest rates, all worsened by what he called a lack of transparency among regulatory agencies. He stressed that the crisis extends beyond large importers to small-scale farmers, market traders, and low-income families.
“Many small businesses are gasping for survival as fish prices rise beyond what ordinary families can afford,” Olawoore stated.
He also urged the President to align reforms with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda by dismantling corrupt bottlenecks, warning that “the longer this system festers, the more it endangers both our economy and our people’s health.”
He pointed to a 2017 statement by a former minister who declared the quota system unsustainable, arguing that the situation has only worsened since then.
