Fadama To Provide 1,140 Jobs In Rivers

In a move to reduce the rate of unemployment and restiveness among the youths of Rivers State, the Rivers State Fadama lll project is poised to disburse 80 per cent of its funds allocation to the youths and widows groups with a view to providing jobs to about 1,140 youths in the state.

To achieve this, about 40 youth groups have already been formed and registered across the 20 participating local government areas of the state, in readiness for disbursement.

The youth groups which are made up of 10 to 15 members in each, majored in crop production, fish farming, poultry production and crop processing.

The state Project Coordination, Prince Kingsley Amadi, disclosed this  on Friday in his office at Rumuodamaya, Obio/Akpor Local Government Council Headquarters, in a chat with The Tide.

According to him, more than 30 per cent of the N150 million disbursed by the project which represents about N45 million, have already gone to the youth groups.  Noteable among the youth groups which have commenced production and marketing of their produce include the Dynamic  Youths Oil Palm Processing group of Omudioga in Emohua LGA.  The youngest Okomoko Fadama poultry in Etche LGA, unique Deeyor disabled in Gokana LGA, Apani Fadama widows cassava production and like minds Fadama Oil Palm Processors in Ikwerre LGA and Obeama Fadama widows vegetable production in Oyigbo LGA, he said.

The coordinator reiterated that the current focus of Fadama lll project in the state is on youths and widows empowerment, saying that it is expected that by the end of this year, more of the youth groups will have been empowered out of the targeted 95 youth groups before the end of the project in December, 2013.

It would be recalled that during one of the sensitization campaigns of the youths, Mr Charley Igwe, secretary dynamics youths of Omudioga Fadama Oil Palm Processor called on the youths of the state to take advantage of Fadama lll project to develop an agribusiness of their choice and become self employed, while Oha Brown, chairman Alioma Omudioga Fadama cassava farmers used the medium to call on all the LGA chairmen and the state government to continue to pay their counter part funds since it is for the benefit of the rural farmers, especially the empowerment of youths.