Adaba T. Ibim, a voice from the Niger Delta in Nigeria
Dr. Mrs. ADABA TONYE IBIM is a qualified and seasoned Aquaculture / Fisheries professional. She is a lecturer with the Fisheries Unit of the Faculty of Agriculture in the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, and also the Executive Director of the Non-Governmental Organisation, Agriculture Support Foundation (ASF).
She has worked for 25 years, with 20 years in the agriculture sector especially in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. She specializes in aquaculture technology development, capture fisheries development, postharvest technology, human resources capacity building and technology transfer to rural fishers with special attention to participatory fisheries governance. She has a great practical experience in sustainable livelihood development and has been involved in participatory / interdisciplinary research, ICT in agriculture, development of women in agriculture, as well as rural and urban agricultural development/community agriculture development strategies with other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Dr A. T. Ibim has also assisted in the establishment of fish farms for several groups and individuals, and facilitated public lectures, awareness campaigns, seminars and workshops geared towards improving communities, individuals, schools and cooperatives in agriculture and environment, under the auspices of the Agricultural Support Foundation, African Women Leaders in Agriculture and Environment (AWLAE, set up by Winrock International).
Adaba is a member of several professional and learned societies, such as the Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON), the Catfish Farmers Association (CAFAN), All Farmers APEX Association (AFAN), the National Association of Women in Academics (NAWACS), the International Society of Environmental Geotechnology (ISEG) and the Society for Occupational Safety and Environmental Health (SOSEH).
She is also engaged in community service, such as training and mentoring youths in her communities, individually and in collaboration with NGOs; mentoring young women scientists to advance their careers and achievements; youth capacity building session and training of local fishers in fish farming techniques.
Among the scholarships awarded are WINROCK/FORD/AWLAE (2006/2007), CTA – Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (2008) and Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP/NUFFIC, 2009).
Read Adaba's short characterisation of the Niger Delta, where she was born, has grown up and keeps working for sustainable living conditions, coastal environments and food.
The Niger Delta area, Nigeria
The Niger Delta area is a wetland area occupying the southern tip of Nigeria, and encompassing seven states of the country, namely Rivers, Delta, Abia, Cross river, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, and Edo states. It is made up of a network of rivers. These rivers are known to be high in floral and faunal diversity. The soils are rich in minerals, including CRUDE OIL and Natural GAS, on which the country's economy thrives.
The Niger Delta area is dotted allover by numerous small fishing communities along the banks of its network of tributaries. The people of the Niger delta area depend mainly on the Rivers/seas for their sustenance. Thus, their main occupation is fishing and trading in fishery products.
The peoples of the Niger delta are from diverse ethnic tribes. They are the Ijaw, Efik, Yoruba, Ibo and Beni speaking tribes.
They are a friendly, hospitable, industrious and enterprising people. They were amongst the first blacks who traded with the whites, especially the Portuguese. This is still evident in the names they bear as a result of such interactions, such as BOB MANUEL, PEDRO, BLACK DUKE, to mention a few.
My village, Abonnema, is one of the communities in the Niger delta area. Abonnema is found in Rivers State (in the Niger Delta area) of Nigeria.
Abonnema, like other fishing towns in the Niger Delta area, is located on the bank of the tributaries in the deltaic network. Abonnema lies at the bank of the Sombriero River. We are the Kalabari ethnic group, within the Niger Delta Ijaw tribe.
The “average” Abonnema person you meet is cheerful and interested in keeping people around him/her happy.
This good-natured behaviour has attracted many other people in the Rivers State. This has earned Abonnema the name NEW YORK CITY in Rivers State.
The food types and recipes are all associated with fishes. Our main foods are meals made of fish, especially seafoods. Many delicious recipes are made out of fish and seafoods. The fish could be eaten smoked, cooked, baked or fried. Meat is not a commonly consumed here.
Native sauces made of seafoods include the popular “Rivers native soup”, shrimp in tomato sauce, Prawn kebab, cooked Crab and yam, among many others. Our dishes are cherished by all who come to the Niger Delta as they are quite tasty and nutritious and appeal to the eye and senses.
Have a look at the blog with Nigerian fish recipes with lots of goodies from Nigeria. Another nicely illustrated website shows, among others, recipes of egusisoup with stockfish, smoked dried fish and ground crayfish and many more ingredients.
Communal life in the Niger Delta area is cherished so much that wherever we are, we do not forget to go back, when possible. However, regular and unabated environmental pollution from oil wells and gas flaring have resulted in habitat destruction and degradation leading to fish kills, species exstirpation, and food poisoning. As a result of all these, eating of our cherished seafoods/fishes, has become a health risk. This has also affected many people's livelihood and destroyed the basis for many of the more traditional ways leading to poverty, youth restiveness, criminality and many other ripple effects, which make life unbearable for the community.
The Mundus maris Initiative is working on propagating the idea of sustainable seas by combining the sharing and use of scientific knowledge with artistic expressions to empower a larger number of people.
The idea is to promote respect for people and nature and solidarity in action. It is in collaboration with the Agriculture Support Foundation, both working towards better understanding of such environmental destruction and promoting non-violent and more sustainable alternatives, including environmental restoration as a source of livelihood, sustainable forms of agriculture and healthy food.
We are also teaching future generations of children and youths in universities in the Niger Delta area to be in the vanguard of those who will protect their environment in the future as they are exposed to these threats early in life.
Though the situation today is grim, we are hopeful that our activities will contribute to bringing us good fortune and improve the lives and livelihoods of the people of the Niger Delta area.
Adaba T. Ibim (PhD)
For more information on the environmental plight in the Niger Delta region and the social and human rights effects it engenders, click here. For yet more information, including more Nigerian recipes click here.
For more information on Mundus maris activities under development in the Niger Delta, click here.