A rice project undertaken by an ex-militant leader in Southern Ijaw creeks of Bayelsa has created jobs for over 100 youths.

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) on Wednesday commended the Federal Government for supporting that permitting Tanko Farms owned by Mr. Paul Eris, ex-militant leader popularly known as ‘General Ogunboss’, to use a section of the 2,500-hectare Peremabiri Rice Farm in Peremabiri, Southern for rice farming was a step in the right direction.

Mr. Pereotubo Oweilaemi, President of the IYC, made the commendation at the Tanko Farms when he led a delegation of the youth body to visit Eris at his country home in Peremabiri community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

He said the rice farm holds a lot of potential to create wealth and job opportunities for youths from various Ijaw communities and also help in solving youth restiveness in the Niger Delta.

“I want to commend the Federal Government for deeming it necessary to do something tangible through our brother to ensure that the people are meaningfully engaged.

“Of course, I have said it at various fora that when the Niger Delta youths are meaningfully engaged, it will curb youth restiveness in the region and this (rice farm) is one key project that can sort out the crisis situation in the region,” Oweilaemi said.

The youth leader, however, appealed to the government to do more by establishing more agricultural projects that would absorb more youths, adding that the swampy nature of the region's terrain was suitable for growing rice.

Oweilaemi assured Eris that the IYC would stand by him in the rice farm project as the former militant leader had proven to be a true Ijaw son who had shown sufficient interest in the progress of the Ijaw nation.

In his remarks, Eris said the 53.5-hectare farm currently has two rice milling machines with over 100 workers.

He said that he had received 320 bags of paddies through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the first quarter of 2017.

He also informed that the government had also awarded him a 10-tonnage rice mill to boost production and highlighted lack of access road to Peremabiri as the greatest challenge affecting businesses in the area.

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