Can Tinubu, Oborevwori Help Women Like Me Fishing In The Creeks?

By Admin

My plea to the government, Tinubu, Oborevwori and others, is to help women like us who live in the creeks and depend on fishing to survive.

The afternoon sun reflects gently across the vast waters of Fenegbene Community in Warri South West Local Government Area, where Akponanabofa James sits on a wooden stool, her feet resting on sawdust-covered ground.

Born in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, Akponanabofa grew up in a home where dreams were nurtured but the means to pursue them were few. Her mother named her “Nurse” in the hope that she would someday work in a hospital, dressed in white and caring for the sick. But that hope faded as quickly as it formed.

Can Tinubu, Oborevwori Help Women Like Me Fishing In The Creeks?

Mrs James

During an interaction with a Stonix News reporter in Fenegbene, Akponanabofa recalled how her father’s death at age 15 shattered the possibilities of furthering her education. Her mother, left alone to care for many children, could not shoulder school fees. Instead of studying, Akponanabofa found herself learning the ropes of fishing — the same trade that would later become her lifeline.

As a child, she was taken in by an aunt who had promised to send her to school, but that promise was never fulfilled. Instead, Akponanabofa spent her days rowing through shallow creeks, lifting nets, and mastering the skills of fishing — unaware that this would become her lifelong occupation.

Her journey later took her to Benue State, where she lived with her husband. Far from the Delta creeks, she continued fishing while also helping with his local gin business. Life, though modest, was stable for a while.

But when the government suddenly banned the production of local gin, everything changed. Their main source of income disappeared, forcing them to relocate back to Delta State in search of a means to survive.

Can Tinubu, Oborevwori Help Women Like Me Fishing In The Creeks?

Mrs James

She narrated:
“My name is Akponanabofa, also called Nurse James. I am 54 years old and from Bomadi Local Government Area in Delta State. I gave birth to 12 children, but three died, leaving me with nine. My mother named me Nurse, hoping I would become one, but there was no money to train me. After my father died when I was 15, my mother could no longer support my education. One of my aunties had promised to enroll me in school, but she didn’t keep her promise. Instead, I helped her fish. I didn’t even attend secondary school. I was already fishing before my father died.

“I moved to Fenegbene Community in 2017. Before then, I was in Benue State with my husband, where I also fished but sold ogogoro. My husband had been doing the local gin business long before he married me.

“The gin business was how we survived. But when they stopped the production, we had no choice but to leave. Coming to Fenegbene, there was nothing. No work. So we started fishing again. I also buy and sell fish from other fishermen. Some days I make N4,000 to N5,000, which is what I use to buy garri, feed my family of 11, care for my children, and pay their fees. Life has not been easy, but I keep pushing.”

Despite raising nine children after losing three, fishing remains her only dependable skill.

“When I don’t have money to buy fish for resale, I take my net and go into the river,” she said, gesturing toward the waters.
“Sometimes I catch 30 to 40 small fish and sell them. I price six for N1,000. Whatever I cannot sell, my family eats. I cannot save because the money finishes as it comes.”

As the economy worsened, her struggle deepened. Rising food prices and unpredictable fishing conditions continue to threaten her livelihood. Heavy rainfall often makes the river unfavourable for fishing. No catch means no money — and no food.

She also recounted a period when debt nearly crippled her.

“I almost ran into N500,000 debt,” she revealed.
Buying fish on credit was risky. When the fish spoiled, the loss was hers.
“If I buy for N35,000, I make N5,000 profit, but on days I couldn’t sell, the fish got rotten, and I lost money. These losses piled up.”

She survived only by borrowing money and is still repaying those loans.

Her frustration deepened as she compared past survival to current times.

“In Buhari’s time, N4,000 could buy garri and cook soup that my family could manage for days. Even after buying, I would still have money left. But now, N4,000 cannot even buy garri for two weeks, not to talk of cooking soup.

“In the North, I could trade and keep N20,000. Now I can’t. People may ask why I don’t leave, but how do I leave when I don’t even have money to survive elsewhere? These days I can’t fish because of the heavy rain. When it rains like that, there won’t be fish in the river.”

Can Tinubu, Oborevwori Help Women Like Me Fishing In The Creeks?

Mrs James

Still, Akponanabofa holds on to one dream — to grow her fish business and become a supplier.

“If I get assistance, I want to use it to trade. I want to continue my fish business and become a supplier. I once almost ran into N500,000 debt because when fish spoiled, I couldn’t repay the supplier. It was God who helped me clear that debt, but I am still paying what I owe. Life here is not easy at all.”

As she concluded her conversation with Stonix News, she offered a heartfelt appeal:

“My plea to the government — Tinubu, Oborevwori and others — is to help women like us who live in the creeks and depend on fishing to survive.”

Her words echo the silent struggles of countless women living by the riverside, relying on a trade that gives them little in return.

Akponanabofa James is more than a fisherwoman; she represents the strength and persistence of women battling daily for survival in difficult terrains. Behind the calm surface of Fenegbene’s waters lies the story of a woman who refuses to give up — because giving up has never been an option.