In the last four decades, the issue of food security has occupied the central stage of our national life.

Successive government in the country both the military and the civilian have evolved one programme or the other all intended to ensure the sustainability of food production not only for domestic consumption, but also for export, particularly when considered against the backdrop that until the discovering of oil in commercial quantity, Agriculture was the mainstay of the country and a major source of revenue.

Such programmes include; the "Operation Feed the Nation" enunciated by Obasanjo regime in 1976, "Green Revolution" by Shehu Shagari's administration in 1980 and Directorate of Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure DFRI, conceptualized by General Ibrahim Babangida all aimed at ensuring food sufficiency and security in the country.

In Delta State, the Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan's administration since its inception on May 29, 2007 has been making conscious and deliberate effort to address the age long problem of food insecurity, in our dear country, Nigeria, particularly in Delta State.

Right from his campaign days, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, said if voted into power, his administration would run three main agenda of Peace and Security, Infrastructure and Human Capital Development.

In pursuance of his human capital development, the Governor on December 14, 2007 at Koko, launched the State Micro-Credit Programme with Dr. Antonia Ifeanyi Ashiedu as his Executive Assistant on the programme. On 17th and 19th of December 2007, the programme was launched at Otu-Jeremi and Kwale respectively. Suffice to say that the programme was launched in the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

The programme, which was launched amidst pump and ceremony, about ten months ago, is already yielding results. 952 groups and over thirteen thousand seven hundred and ninty seven persons under about one thousand cluster groups have benefited from the benevolent programme of the Governor Uduaghan's administration. Some Deltans who were hitherto unemployed and grappling with poverty have taken advantage of this laudable programme to be self employed and are already striving to live above poverty.

A large percentage of the beneficiaries of the Micro- credit programme are into farming and their initiative to go into farming with the interest free loan is already helping to boost food production in the state.

The State Government under this programme has appropriated N500 million. The collateral advantage of the positive effect of this Programme is evident in the lives of Deltans as it has obviously contributed to the prevailing peace in all parts of the state.

At Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area on Wednesday, October 22, 2008, the state Governor, who went to inspect over two thousand fish ponds in the Ufuoma fish town, which was put together through self help by people of like mind announced a grant of N34,395,000.00 to the fish farmers. The Governor who was apparently overwhelmed with the initiative of this group of persons, also promised that the state Direct Labour Agency, DLA, would embark on the construction of the fish town access road after the rains.

While also announcing a donation of two Toyota Hilux Pickups, and water pumps, Uduaghan said Government would also provide streetlights for the fish farm settlement for security purposes.

The Governor who presented a draft of the sum of N34, 395,000.00 to the United Micro-Finance Bank Limited, for immediate disbursement to the beneficiaries, said Government would not rest on its oars to support farmers in the state. He added that the Ekpan fish town would be used as a reference point for catfish production.

Uduaghan who was at the farm for inspection purposes, urged private investors to encourage fish farmers in the state by establishing fish feed processing mills in the state.

According to Uduaghan, the Ufuoma fish farm, Ekpan was one of its kinds in the country, adding that the initiative was no doubt creating a positive image for the Uvwie people, in particular and Delta State in general.

The Governor who defied the heavy rain on that faithful day in Warri, told Deltans to embark on large scale farming, saying that his administration would continue to support genuine farmers to ensure food security for the people of the state. Uduaghan was accompanied on the inspection visit by the state Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, SAN; Secretary to the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Tabs Tobowei and other top Government functionaries,

The Governor's Executive Assistant on the state Micro-Credit Programme, DMCP, Dr. Antonia Ifeanyi Ashiedu said these groups of farmers, have challenged themselves and conquered adversity by establishing the fish town.

Ashiedu who was speaking during the Governor's visit to the fish farm, however noted that the Niger Delta belt of which river pollution was their bane, could be better with modification in Aqua culture and new technologies.

She said they might have a way out, particularly when their people invest in fish farming, which according to her is the primary occupation of the people.

Quoting the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, the Executive Assistant said "currently, domestic fish production hovers around 0.511 tones, whereas projected demand is about 1.7 million tones.

"The shortfall between demand and local fish production (from all sources) about 0.5-1-0 million tones, necessitates massive importation, so much so, that Nigeria is the largest importer of frozen fish and stockfish in the entire world, 0.7 million tones (N 35 billion) and among the largest for canned fish."

Ashiedu said as Chairman of the fishery committee of the Delta State Farmers Support Programme, they were pleasantly surprised at the large number of enthusiastic fish farmers and prospective fish farmers in the state.

She held that the state would surely be a big player in Nigeria in terms of fish production with the state Government using the instrument of state power to give require impetus to fish farmers in the state.

According to Ashiedu, the sum of N100 million has already been disbursed in the state Farmers Support Programme to respective Micro-Finance Banks for immediate disbursement to participants in the first phase of the state fish Farmers Support Programme.

She expressed hope that with the entrepreneurial spirit of these groups of farmers in Aquaculture and with the immense support the state government has given to them towards ensuring food security in the state, the state fishery sector would soon become a reference point in fish farming in Nigeria and beyond.

She reiterated that in preparing some of these Ekpan cluster groups for Government's Farmers Support Programme, the State Micro Credit Programme on October 6, 2008 disbursed the sum of N3 million to assist some of the groups to buy fingerlings and stock-up their ponds since the fund for fishery in the Farmers Support Programme was specifically for fish feeds.

Ashiedu stated that they have also disbursed to women within Ekpan who were fish mongers, adding that with the new window of the Delta State Micro Credit Programme and the Delta/Oceanic Micro Credit Scheme Account, DOMSA, they would explore and implement with more latitude, intervention for their entrepreneurs.

Only recently, the Delta State Government signed an MOU with Oceanic Bank to partner with the state in its systematic development of human capital with a viable strategy for poverty alleviation through facilitation of access of proactive entrepreneurs to productive assets and services through a sustainable credit programme.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has guaranteed 75% of the monies that would be disbursed to beneficiaries through DOMSA. This account is built on six guiding principles, which include; demand driven and projects community participation.

Others principles are; implementation, decentralisation of decision making, empowering entrepreneurs in the state, minimum bureaucracy and targeted group.

According to the MOU, the conditionality for loans have been specifically tailored to suit proactive Delta State entrepreneurs. It specified that micro loans or small loan would attract 15% interest rate, while 20% of counterpart fund would be kept in an interest yielding savings account at 4% per annum.

It added that upon prompt repayment of the loans, the Central Bank of Nigeria would pay back to the client 40% of the interest rate, thereby reversing the actual interest to 9%.

The DOMSA according to government source, was to make communities in the state commercially active, create new wealth and prosperity all over the state and also create employment in the productive age bracket.

President of the United Fishers Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, Ekpan, Deacon David Omoesiri in his address at the occasion said the farm was made up of over two thousand fish ponds with each pond measuring 20ft by soft and classified into phase 1, 11, and 111.

Omoesiri disclosed that phase iv was in progress, adding that each fish pond contains about eight hundred to one thousand cat fish to grow out with weight of between 1kg to 3kg per fish.

According to him, the ponds were owned and managed by about eight hundred farmers at present and sell about 6.5 tons of cat fish daily and thanked Dr.Antonia Ashiedu for issuing certificates to eighteen groups comprising of 381 persons that were beneficiaries of the state Micro-Credit Loan Scheme.

He pointed out that the cooperative brings together the fish farmers for the purpose of achieving their collective operational objectives. He stressed that the farm was the biggest communal fish farm in the state and one of the biggest in the country as at today.

Omoesiri said their activities have created over two hundred jobs opportunities for youths in the areas of pond construction, maintenance and management.

"We have also created job opportunities for many women in Ekpan community and its environs as most of the women engage in the sales of cat fish thereby providing for their families and paying their children's school fees.

"Therefore reducing the level of poverty to the barest minimum in the locality in line with the Delta State Government programme of reducing poverty. We also save the women the risk of travelling to the riverine areas and beyond in search of catfish," he noted.

He said they also sell on credit to some of the women that were just coming into the fish business in order to encourage and empower them financially.

To this end, he solicited the support and intervention of the State Government in the areas of financial assistance in the forms of credit facilities, soft loans and grants. He held that the farmers could not meet the stringent conditions of conventional banks for credit facilities.

Omoesiri also called for assistance in the area of fish feeds, freezing and drying machines, water pumps, operational vehicles, seminars, training and workshops, fertilizers, lime, nets and fingerlings as well as hatchery.

No doubt, the Uduaghan's administration has displayed great commitment towards providing food for the people of the State.