Economic Impact Of Amnesty Policy Intervention On Artisanal Fishing Agribusiness In Niger-Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

A stable political environment is an important factor in the productivity of agribusiness enterprises. Amnesty policy was formulated to stop the ugly effect of militancy on the economy of Nigeria. Economic impact of government amnesty policy on artisanal fishing business, was studied using randomly selected 80 fishers. Structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the respondents. Following a counter factual approach, collected data were disaggregated into pre-amnesty and post - amnesty policy eras. Null hypothesis of no significant impact was tested using t-statistics. The result shows that artisanal fishing output after the amnesty policy is significantly higher than output before the amnesty policy. Similarly, test of hypothesis shows that the average revenue from fish sales (N10,428.750) after the amnesty policy is significantly higher (P<0.05) than revenue obtained before amnesty policy intervention. The result of the counter factual analysis of output/revenue of fishers indicates that government amnesty policy intervention significantly and positively impacted on artisanal fishing business in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria. It was concluded the amnesty policy (presidential pardon granted militants,disarmament and re-integration) actualy translated to peaceful business environment necessary for development of artisanal fishing agribusiness in the Niger-Delta, Nigeria. This policy option should be replicated as a template in locations were political instability is a threat to economic development. Nigeria is blessed with high level of oil and agricultural resources. Although large revenue is derived from the oil sector, agriculture including the fishing subsector, particularly, artisanal fishing contributes substantially to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), foreign exchange earnings, employment generation, food security and poverty alleviation. The problem of the Niger-Delta includes marginalization, lack of infrastructural development and lack of political space. The oil wells in their backyard were managed and owned by external and internal colonial masters. The indigenes were left out of the business of oil prospecting, lifting and sale of both the crude and finished products and even in the employment scheme in the oil industry. Federal Government was insensitive to the people's agitations. This culminated in arm struggles and militancy. The militancy in the Niger-Delta negatively affected economic activities, including artisanal fishing business in the water ways. There was insecurity, loss of life, properties and livelihoods. These were clear manifestation of economic entropy. The paradox of living in poverty in the midst of plenty best describes the situation in the Niger-Delta during the period. Amnesty policy was chosen as the appropriate intervention by Nigerian government to deal with the social economic and political monster called militancy. The responses of economic indicators to the amnesty policy in this article, is referred to as economic resonance. Economic resonance in this study is regarded as the state of economic system in which a large vibration of economic indicators is produced by small policy stimulus. The militancy era was characterized by sound of wars and woes produced by the trigger of guns and bombs. The post amnesty era, is characterized by sounds of economic fortune generated by conducive business environment. The war mongers have been converted to genuine fish business mongers in the post amnesty era. What is left to be done now is the continuous fine-tuning of the cash economy by relevant policy instruments in the Niger-Delta, Nigeria. Every business operates within an environment such as physical, economic, social, cultural, Legal and political environments. Artisanal fishing agribusiness is not an exception. The environment tends to influence the performance and growth of the business. Hence for any business to flourish and experience growth there is the need for a peaceful and safe environment. Against this background the realization of a peaceful business environment cannot be compromised in any part of the federation (Ujah and Biniyat, 2010). The Niger-delta is an area endowed with abundant human and natural resources that needs to be optimally exploited in order to harness the desired economic growth that Nigeria craves for. Besides oil and gas, the Niger-delta is a very viable fishing ground. The fishing industry contributes substantially to Nigerias economic sustainability, because it provides the much needed protein and nutrient for the people, and job for the rural dwellers, who earn honest living through fishing activities. The once viable artisanal fishing agribusiness was hampered by the absence of a peaceful