THE CHALLENGES FACING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES/ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NEEDS) IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

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1 THE CHALLENGES FACING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES/ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NEEDS) IN NORTHERN NIGERIA BY OMOTERE TOPE N.C.E., B.A. (Ed) 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 1

2 THE CHALLENGES FACING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES/ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NEEDS) IN NORTHERN NIGERIA By OMOTERE TOPE N.C.E., B.A. (Ed) February, EgoBooster Books Page 2

3 2011 Omotere Tope Published By: EgoBooster Books, Ogun State, Nigeria. All rights reserved. ebook Identification No: Project File No: E003 This research is right protected. You do not have the right to modify the content, copy or reprint it. Any attempt to reproduce this ebook by any means (photocopy or storage in CDs) is prohibited. Student researchers using/citing this work should acknowledge it at their footnotes, endnotes, bibliography or references. The content has not undergo any rigorous academic supervision. The researcher only writes for commercial purpose. Contact Office: EgoBooster Cyber Cafe, Shop 5, Kikelomo Shopping Complex, Ojuri B/S, Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State EgoBooster Books Page 3

4 About the Author Omotere Tope attended Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Otto- Ijanikin, Lagos from 2002 to 2006 (N.C.E. in Christian Religious Studies/ History) and holds a B.A. (Ed) in History and Diplomatic Studies from Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. He has undergone training at the United States Institute of Peace (Online Training Program) with a certificate of course completion in Peace and Conflict Analysis. He is currently a post-graduate student of the National Open University of Nigeria. Omotere Tope is an online publisher. He conducts researches (both online and offline) to produce academic works that students can use for their long essays, theses and dissertations. With access to his online project database students in Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and Universities can download full texts of related works prepared by him and other researchers. This will enable them to read literature reviews, check for empirical evidences from data analysis and understand the methodology used EgoBooster Books Page 4

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6 THE CHALLENGES FACING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES/ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY (NEEDS) IN NORTHERN NIGERIA Abstract This study focuses on the challenges affecting the implementation of youth empowerment programmes vis-à-vis the Economic and Development Strategy (NEEDS) using four Local Government Areas of Wukari, Ibbi, Gassol and Jalingo in Taraba State as a case study. This study identifies the major challenges that stand as a bottleneck towards the implementation of youth empowerment programmes. Questionnaire was administered to collect relevant data which was analyzed, using the simple percentages method. It was discovered that poor monitoring and supervision of youth programmes, lack of funding, inadequate infrastructural facilities, lack of qualified youth personnel (leaders), poor management of youth recreational facilities and vocational centre, among others were responsible for the poor implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Taraba State. Having identified the problems, recommendations were further made to help in solving the problem. The researcher recommended that government needs to provide enough fund for the assessment and monitoring of youth programmes, provision of well equipped vocational centres, recruitment of qualified youth leaders, among others have to be vigorously pursued and achieved if the objectives of the Taraba State Government concerning youth empowerment is to be ascertained EgoBooster Books Page 6

7 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the Study Youth empowerment is a process whereby young people gain the ability and authority to make decisions and implement change in their own lives. In Nigeria, youth empowerment occurs in homes, at schools, through youth organizations, government policy-making, reality Tv Shows, and community organizing campaigns. Youth empowerment ranges from economic empowerment to social, ideological, educational, technological and political empowerment. The term youth empowerment combines two important words ( youth and empowerment ) which must be defined differently. The United Nations, for statistical purposes, defines youth, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. While the Webster Dictionary (1998),defines empowerment in three ways (1) to give 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 7

8 official authority or legal power to; (2) enable; (3) to promote the self actualization or influence. The strategy proscribed by the first definition can be quite effective provided that the party being empowered (that is, the "empoweree") already has the competencies needed to achieve the desired outcome. The strategy does not work well when it is plugged into a framework of youth development in which empowerment itself is being used as a strategy for developing competencies in youth. For youth development, the third definition is more suitable. Youth empowerment therefore refers to a process through which adults begin to share responsibility and power with young people. However, it must be noted that youth empowerment in itself has been in practice in pre-colonial Nigeria. The trans-atlantic slave trade and the colonization of African states eventually led to the impoverishment of African youths. The post independent African 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 8

9 countries inherited the problem of youth unemployment and other social problems. Within the African context, youth empowerment is a means of encouraging young people to gain the skills and knowledge that will allow them to overcome obstacles in life. In this sense, youth empowerment does the following for African youths: The ability to make decisions about personal/collective circumstances The ability to access information and resources for decisionmaking Ability to consider a range of options from which to choose Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making Having positive-thinking about the ability to make change Ability to learn and access skills for improving personal/collective circumstance EgoBooster Books Page 9

10 Ability to inform others perceptions though exchange, education and engagement. Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated Increasing one's positive self-image and overcoming stigma Increasing one's ability in discreet thinking to sort out right and wrong. Historically speaking, it is not clear when the term Youth Empowerment entered into the Nigerian socio-political and economic vocabulary. The term perhaps, resonates more as an attempt by stakeholders to draw attention to the ecological degradation and economic powerlessness of those living in the oilrich Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The Niger Delta youth adopted militant approach to fight for resource control in the region. The Federal Government responded by arresting what they perceive as youth restiveness in the Niger Delta, and thus, introduced various 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 10

11 programmes targeted at diverting the attention of the youths. This might have influenced their use of the term youth empowerment as a new vocabulary in governance. In the words of A. Emielu (2008), since crude oil is the main stay of the Nigerian economy, the concept of youth empowerment in the Niger Delta area could be seen more as a negotiated relationship between government agencies and the restive youths, born more out of fear of destabilizing the national economy, than by the need to develop the creative potentials of the Nigerian youth. NEEDS and Youth Empowerment in Taraba State Nigeria has implemented several ad hoc stabilization or reform measures in the past to empower the youths. Some of them include the Structural Adjustment Programme, National Directorate of Employment, National Economic Empowerment and Development 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 11

12 Strategy (NEEDS), etc. Therefore, focusing on youth empowerment in Taraba State requires that one picks one of these proagrammes and analyses its implementation and its impact on the youths in Taraba State. Taraba State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy was launched by the Taraba State Government in 2004 as a plan of action aimed at tackling the problems of development in Taraba State. The essence of developing the plan was to reduce poverty, generate employment, create wealth and re-orientate the value system in the State and pave way for sustainable development over a short to medium term from 2005 to Therefore, the Taraba State government not only target the children, the women and the aged in her programme of action but also the youths who are seen as engine of economic and social development in Taraba State EgoBooster Books Page 12

13 In this sense, the TSEEDS seeks to strategically place the youths in a comparative advantage and to allow them work creating wealth through small and medium scale enterprises. This research seeks to examine the evolution of youth empowerment in Taraba State with emphasis on young people both in rural and urban areas of the state. If empowering young people means creating and supporting the enabling conditions under which young people can act on their own behalf, and on their own terms, rather than at the direction of others, this study therefore sets out to present a historical analysis of what the Taraba State government has been able to provide since its creation in 1991 to empower the youths. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Although, much has been written on the evolution of youth empowerment in Nigeria (especially on youths in the Niger Delta), little is known concerning youth empowerment in Taraba State visà-vis Taraba State Economic Empowerment and Development 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 13

14 Strategy. It is on the basis of the above that this research seeks to fill the vacuum which is yet to receive the attention of scholars in the field of youth empowerment studies. 1.3 Objectives of the Study The purpose of this research work is to: i. Discuss the concept of youth empowerment ii. Discuss the various youth empowerment programmes of the Taraba State Government as presented in the Taraba State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (TSEEDS) iii. Analyze youth empowerment policies of the Taraba State Government in accordance with the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 14

15 1.4 Research Questions (i) To what extent has the Taraba state government promote youth empowerment programmes in the state? (ii) Does the Programme make available recruitment of youth into the workfore? (iii) Are there facilities in the Local Government Areas of Taraba State to enhance youth entrepreneurship training as stipulated in the document of Taraba State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (TSEEDS)? (iv) To what extent has youth empowerment programmes in Taraba State been effective in line with the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS)? 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 15

16 1.5 Scope of the Study The study touches on the concepts of youth empowerment and its importance to national development. It examines the evolution of youth empowerment in Taraba State. It also discusses National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) and its implementation by the Taraba State Government. However, the work is limited to economic and social empowerment of youths in four Local Government Areas (WUKARI, IBBI, GASSOL AND JALINGO) of Taraba State and does not cover other areas such as religious empowerment. 1.6 Significance of the Study The significant of this research work are enormous. First, the work addresses one of the key issues of contemporary Nigeria. It touches areas that affect the conduct of democratic principles in Nigerian polity which is the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS). Hence, the study is of benefit to 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 16

17 students of international relations, politics, development studies, history, and even those in the social sciences. Secondly, this study will contribute to the growing body of knowledge in youth empowerment as it looks at the concept from a different angle. Thirdly, this study will aid other researchers who might want to carry out research in related areas. 1.8 Definition of Terms Youth: Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood (maturity). "Youth are also regarded as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years." Empowerment: Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, or economic strength of individuals and 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 17

18 communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities. Youth Empowerment: Youth empowerment is an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives Taraba State: Taraba State was created out of the former Gongola State on 27th August 1991, by the Military Government of General Ibrahim Babangida. Taraba State which has its capital at Jalingo is named after the River Taraba located in the Southern part of the State. Non-Governmental Organizations: A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government and a term usually used by governments to refer to entities that have no government status EgoBooster Books Page 18

19 National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS): revolves around the idea of empowerment across a broad spectrum of the Nigerian people. NEEDS empowers through job creation, opportunities for employment and wealth creation and promoting private enterprise. 1.9 Organization of the Work Chapter one examines the background to the study and provides a general overview of what the research intends to achieve. Chapter Two provides literature review of the work and also looks at theoretical and empirical framework of youth empowerment in Taraba State. Chapter Three looks at the methodology to be used for the study Chapter Four gives a critical analysis of the findings of the study as regards youth empowerment in Taraba State vis-à-vis Taraba State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (TSEEDS)? 2011 EgoBooster Books Page 19

20 Chapter Five provide the summary and conclusion of the study. It also made recommendations as to how to improve youth empowerment in the State EgoBooster Books Page 20

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