Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, Project Coordinator of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), yesterday returned to the Bomu Creek to continue the restoration of the bloody cockle culture. He introduced broodstock and spat to the bed in an effort to bring seafood back to the region.

This step builds on earlier efforts by HYPREP to restore the cockle through artificial propagation and restocking. The project is working with the African Regional Aquaculture Centre (ARAC), the University of Port Harcourt and the Rivers State University.

Professor Zabbey said the team is “optimistic about the successful outcome of the laboratory research and the setting up of a complimentary field-based experiment by culturing the cockle broodstock in the wild. This will enable monitoring of their reproductive outputs.”

The culture beds at Bomu Creek have also been seeded with young cockles collected from the wild. Their survival and growth will be monitored to track progress.

According to HYPREP, the method is nature-based, low-tech and ecologically friendly. It is designed to ensure sustainability while reviving seafood production in the area.

The cockle, a bivalve shellfish locally known as koo, once flourished on the tidal flats of Ogoni communities such as Bodo, Bomu, Gbe and Kaa.

For decades, it was a major source of animal protein and income for local people.

However, overharvesting and oil pollution caused the collapse of cockle stocks, leaving the species locally extinct across parts of Ogoni.

Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) has renewed its pledge to “feeding the nation every day” by strengthening food security in Nigeria and expanding its reach across Africa.

The move is part of the Group’s six-decade strategy of boosting local content and cutting down on imported raw materials.

As Nigeria’s leading pan-African food and agro-allied company, FMN said it will continue to play a key role in agricultural transformation. The company added that its 65 years of commitment to Feeding and Enriching Lives, Every Day, remains strong.

Speaking on the company’s contribution, Boye Olusanya, Group CEO of FMN, described it as more than just a business.

“FMN is more than a Company to Nigeria but also a strong ally in growth and development. For over six decades, the Group has been a source of livelihood for millions of Nigerian families by providing both direct and indirect employment,” he said.

He added, “And more than any other business in the country, we have guarded our national heritage with trust, ensuring that our activities are sustainable for the country, the environment, and most importantly, for the people. Therefore, no matter how unprecedented the market environment is, FMN remains unwaveringly committed to local content development for the attainment of food self-sufficiency in Nigeria and progressively across the continent.”

FMN first entered the agricultural sector in 1978 with the acquisition of a 10,000-hectare farm in Kaboji, Niger State.

The investment was designed to add value to the sugar supply chain and reduce the reliance on imported raw materials.

Since then, the company has invested heavily in the local cultivation of crops such as cassava, wheat, maize, soybeans, sugar cane, palm fruits, and sorghum. It has also advanced in storage, aggregation, and distribution of locally sourced grains.

The Group sustains its agenda through investments in food production and yield transformation programmes.

One key initiative is its outgrower programme and agronomy support systems, which have empowered more than 400,000 farmers nationwide.

Through this scheme, smallholder farmers receive resources to grow crops within FMN’s value chain. These crops are later used for the company’s food products, including Golden Penny Foods.

FMN also plans to deepen this programme with better training, stronger market access, and increased support for local production.

Golden Agri Inputs Limited (GAIL), under FMN Agro Limited, has also developed farming schemes for over 50,000 Nigerian farmers.

The schemes provide hybrid seed varieties, modern farming methods, storage solutions, and guaranteed markets for maize, cassava, wheat, sorghum, soybean, and palm kernel.

The Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has announced that no fewer than 18,000 rice and cassava farmers in Ogun State have benefited from its intervention.

The disclosure was made by the acting programme coordinator, Abiola Sobunkola, on Wednesday during an inspection tour of project sites in Ijebu North East, Odeda, and Yewa North Local Government Areas.

The VCDP initiative is a federal government programme funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the Ogun State government and farmers’ organisations. It is designed to support smallholder farmers in the rice and cassava value chains, enhancing productivity to promote food security and economic growth.

According to Sobunkola, the inspection was part of efforts to strengthen agricultural value chains across the state. She explained that the tour also aimed to ensure that the facilities provided for farmers were properly maintained and used to their maximum potential.

She added that the programme was structured to boost rice and cassava farming productivity while strengthening every stage of the value chain. Sobunkola noted that support from IFAD and VCDP had helped reduce farmers’ production costs significantly while also improving the availability of food in the state.

The Chairman of Ijebu North East Local Government Area, Foluso Badejo, praised the impact of the programme on local farmers. He described it as a major boost to agricultural development and thanked Governor Dapo Abiodun for his role in promoting food security through partnerships like VCDP.

“The collaboration with VCDP has been very impactful, and we ensure that the facilities provided are put to good use,” Badejo stated.

One of the beneficiaries, Timothy Eweoba, a cassava farmer from Ayetoro in Yewa North, said the intervention had transformed their operations. “We used to process Garri manually, which was stressful and time-consuming, but with the factory provided by VCDP, our processing capacity has greatly improved,” he said.