The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is mourning the sudden death of the Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Wellington Omoragbon, who died in Abuja aged 59. Omoragbon reportedly died on Saturday, 26 September 2026, a day after returning from an official trip to Ghana.
He was due to retire from the civil service in April 2027. His burial is scheduled for this Friday in Edo State. Officials described his death as a major loss to the ministry, Nigeria’s fisheries sector and the many colleagues, friends and associates he worked with throughout his career.
Omoragbon played a key role in advancing Nigeria’s blue economy agenda, particularly efforts to bridge the country’s fish production gap and strengthen domestic aquaculture value chains. Just weeks before his death, in August 2026, he was appointed by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr.
Adegboyega Oyetola, to the newly inaugurated Technical Committee on Accelerating Fish Production in Nigeria. The committee was tasked with boosting domestic fish production and reducing the country’s fish import deficit, estimated at 2.2 million metric tonnes. His death comes as the government intensifies efforts to strengthen local fish production, reduce import dependence and unlock the economic potential of Nigeria’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.