The Federal Government has been urged to halt the current fish import quota system, warning that it is capable of worsening Nigeria’s food insecurity and placing basic nutrition beyond the reach of millions of citizens.

The Managing Director of Mariplus Services Ltd, Femi Olawoore, who made the appeal in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, titled: “A Cry from the Waters: An urgent call to save Nigeria’s fish trade,” said Nigeria facing what he called a ‘nutritional emergency’, driven by corruption and mismanagement within the fish import quota regime.

He noted that fish remains one of the most affordable and widely consumed sources of animal protein in the country, but warned that policy failures are steadily turning it into a luxury item.

According to him, Nigeria consumes between 3.2 million and 3.6 million metric tons of fish yearly, while domestic production accounts for only about 1.1 million metric tons. He argued that the wide supply gap makes imports unavoidable and that restricting access through opaque quotas only deepens the protein deficit .

“When fish, a staple protein for the average Nigerian, becomes unaffordable, then a protein crisis is inevitable,” Olawoore.

He further alleged that the fish import quota system, which was originally designed to support local production while allowing controlled imports, has been “hijacked by private and greedy interests.” He claimed that access to quotas has effectively become a tradable commodity, shutting out genuine operators and distorting market prices.

Olawoore also pointed to the mounting economic pressures on legitimate businesses in the sector, citing unstable foreign exchange rates, rising freight costs and high interest rates. He said these challenges are worsened by what he described as lack of transparency among regulatory agencies overseeing fish imports.

The businessman warned that the consequences extend beyond large operators, affecting small scale aquaculture farmers, market women and low income households. According to him, many small businesses are “gasping for survival” as fish prices rise beyond what ordinary families can afford.

While calling on President Tinubu to intervene, Olawoore urged the Federal Government to dismantle corrupt bottlenecks in the system and align reforms with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“The longer this system festers, the more it endangers both our economy and our people’s health,” he said, adding, “As the Yoruba say, a great animal left too long in the sun will rot.”

He stressed that decisive action against corruption in the fish import framework would help stabilise prices, protect jobs and ensure that access to affordable protein is restored for millions of Nigerians.