Indigent women in the agrarian communities of Eko Epe and Ijebu Epe in the Epe area of Lagos State have called on the state government to provide them with funding, fish processing facilities and modern equipment.
The women in underserved riverine communities told LEADERSHIP they can contribute meaningfully to local economic growth if they get the requisite support from the state government.
According to them, fishing remained the main occupation in the communities, and they added that the support they need is funds to expand their businesses and modern equipment.
Mrs Remi Hassan, seen using charcoal to dry her fish in the community, said, “We were born in fishing and trading in this community. This is where people come to buy fish and crayfish. It is our occupation. I have been doing this fish business for more than 20 years. My husband is a fisherman. He normally goes out fishing very early in the morning and comes back in the afternoon with the day’s catch. My own duty is to prepare the fish and take it to Oluwo market.
We struggle to buy a fish dryer. I am not using it now because the fish I have to process today is not much.”
Another fish seller in the community, Tayo Adeleye, said, “Fishing and fish processing is my occupation. I inherited the trade from my mother, who ran the business before I was born. I took over the business, and I have been in it since then.”
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The woman in her mid-thirties lamented, “We don’t feel the presence of the government in this place. We provide anything we need here for ourselves.
We are not making so much money. Depending on the size of the basket, which contains about 10 fish, it is around N60,000. If the fish are big, it can be up to N100,000. People come here to buy from us and resell to other people.”
On initiatives to support women, especially those in the agriculture sector, to ensure financial inclusion of women in the state, build sustainable livelihoods and contribute meaningfully to local economic growth, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the state government has been supporting women across the state, particularly those engaged in agriculture, through the provision of essential agricultural inputs.
She pointed out that the current administration has since realised that empowering women, regardless of tribe, religion or political affiliation, would foster development and strengthen the drive towards food sufficiency in the state.
Olusanya said the ongoing distribution of agricultural inputs to women highlights the government’s commitment to promoting urban farming to improve food security and empower women in the agricultural sector.
According to her, “Distribution of key inputs—including seeds, smoking kilns and snail parent stock—serves not only to strengthen food security but also bears eloquent testimony to the state government’s resolve to support and empower women in agriculture who often work diligently without commensurate recognition.”
