As controversy continues to path the demise of tilapia fish in Epe, the Dredgers Affiliation of Nigeria has threatened to take authorized motion in opposition to Epe tilapia fish farmers for laying false accusations in opposition to its members.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday in Lagos, the Government Secretary of DAN, Mr Richard Ntan, mentioned the affiliation was shocked that farmers carried out what they described as unsubstantiated claims within the media even after they agreed to not communicate to the media.
Ntan mentioned that the actions of the fish farmers would undermine the continued investigative course of by the Minerals and Environmental Administration Committee on tilapia fish mortality.
He added that the affiliation was suspecting a smear marketing campaign in opposition to its member, Renecon Restricted.
Reacting to the menace, the Chairman of Ebute Afuye Fish Farmers Agricultural Multipurpose Society, Rahmon Lasisi, instructed The PUNCH on a phone chat, “They will go forward, please.”
Recall that a number of weeks in the past; a peace assembly was convened by MIREMCO in Ikeja, Lagos, bringing collectively stakeholders, together with the DAN, Renecon Restricted, Epe tilapia fish farmers, and representatives from each state and federal environmental businesses.
The gathering was aimed toward addressing the fish mortality incident allegedly linked to dredging actions near the fish farms.
The tilapia farmers had linked the excessive mortality of their fish to the actions of dredgers in Epe.
Nonetheless, DAN lamented that whereas the investigation was ongoing, the farmers had in latest stories within the media accused Renecon Restricted of inflicting the demise of the fish with their actions.
Ntan enunciated, “After in depth and heated discussions, which included opinions of movies of the positioning the place the incident allegedly occurred, the assembly noticed that there have been no dredging actions inside the areas cited as the placement for the fishing enterprise and the movies offered by the fish farmers at shut remark, could not have any direct bearing to the impression on the caged fishes.”
He added that the impression of local weather change, notably of the intense water temperature and the unprecedented presence of water hyacinth within the space of the incident, may trigger considerable harm.
In line with Ntan, the committee gave discover of its intent to get to the basis of the incident by conducting investigations and enjoined all events to remain off additional public spat and name-callings till investigations have been totally performed and events invited to listen to and analyse the outcomes of findings.
The DAN scribe famous that the affiliation was stunned that farmers had gone to press in opposition to the settlement of the assembly including that the transfer was, “clearly inciting a well-crafted agenda to nail actions of Renecon Restricted, our member as the reason for the unlucky incident”.
He claimed that the press convention was additionally to boost the alarm concerning the underhand techniques of the fish farmers, who now probate and reprobate on a problem below investigation.
“That the Dredgers Affiliation of Nigeria wouldn’t hesitate to move to court docket to convey the fisher farmers and all its leaders who granted what’s clearly a false narrative with none iota of scientific proof to buttress their premeditated agenda to garbage the identify of Renecon Restricted to pay for his or her hate speech,” Ntan famous.
He reiterated that by going to the press, the fish farmers had ambushed the continued investigations by MIREMCO, to frustrate an ongoing scientific investigation to search out out the reason for the fish mortality and “in identical breathe poison selections if it goes in opposition to its expectations”.
Ntan acknowledged that the affiliation had credible intelligence that some fifth columnists who have been keen on stopping the actions of Renecon have been in league with the fish farmers who have been determined to frustrate the peace course of.
“Renecon on the recommendation of DAN wrote formally to MIREMCO to complain concerning the publications of the fish farmers and vehemently acknowledged that their narratives as contained in mentioned publications have been lies and figments of the fish farmers’ brainless imaginations
“{That a} week after our rebuttal and in noticing any consequent assaults or media judgment by fish farmers immediately or not directly, Renecon Restricted would method the courts to hunt pronouncements to guard its fame and picture, and cease additional makes an attempt to criminalise her operations with none credible scientific proof,” he elucidated.
In line with Ntan, by these false tales within the media, the fish farmers have incited harmless members of the general public in opposition to the dredging firm, thus placing the lives of its house owners and employees at risk.
