Fish Farmers to New NAIC Boss: “Your Appointment Must Deliver Real Change, Not Just Promises”

A coalition of aquaculture professionals, under the National Aquaculture Professionals Alliance (NAPA), has applauded President Bola Tinubu’s selection of Yazeed Shehu Danfulani as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC). But their excitement comes with a clear challenge: this appointment can’t be merely symbolic.

In a statement by NAPA President Engr. Ibrahim Ayotola Bamidele, the group welcomed the pick as “strategic” but emphasized that fish farmers have endured years of hardship—battling floods, disease outbreaks, and volatile production costs—with negligible insurance protection.

“Mr. Danfulani’s appointment is a moment of renewed hope, but it must lead to action,” Bamidele asserted.

The statement underscores that NAIC remains largely disconnected from smallholder aquaculture farmers, who are essential players in Nigeria’s protein supply chain. These farmers have seen little to no tangible support from the agency.

Bamidele stressed Danfulani’s strong credentials in finance, agriculture, and enterprise development. But he emphasized that effective change hinges on political will and a national mandate for a farmer-focused insurance model.

Aquaculture, if underpinned by robust risk mitigation tools, could boost food security, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. Yet NAPA warns that without responsive insurance mechanisms and prompt payouts, many young Nigerians will continue to avoid agriculture.

NAPA urged the new NAIC leadership to:

1. Engage directly with grassroots stakeholders—holding sensitisation drives in fish hatcheries, pond sites, and local markets—so NAIC moves from a theoretical agency to a visible, practical support system.
2. Collaborate with farmer associations like NAPA for data sharing, awareness campaigns, and farmer mobilisation.
3. Ensure that NAIC delivers timely payouts and accessible insurance products.

The group also appealed to the Federal Government to provide Danfulani with the necessary legal, policy, and budgetary enabling environment to fulfill Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in agriculture.

“We don’t need more press releases. We need action. Organise town halls, visit our hatcheries and ponds, show farmers that NAIC is not just a name on paper,” reads the statement.

NAPA concluded by reaffirming its commitment to support NAIC’s rollout efforts, urging that this opportunity translate into real benefits for Nigerians across the aquaculture sector.