ABSTRACT
This study focused on the effects of N-Power programmes on youth empowerment in South East Nigeria. The specific objectives are to: evaluate the effects of entrepreneurial and technical skills development programmes of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South East Nigeria and ascertain the effects of transferability and employability programmes of N-Power on youths’ social empowerment in South East Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design. The population of the study consisted of N-Power beneficiaries from Abia State, Imo States, Anambra State, Enugu States and Ebonyi State. Primary and secondary sources of data were used. The study adopted purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Content validity and Cronbach Alpha reliability technique were adopted. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the study objectives while Multiple Regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that: At 1% level (Sig < .01) of significance entrerpreneurial and technical skills development programmes of N-Power have a significant effects on youths’ economic empowerment in South East Nigeria. At 1% level (Sig < .01) of significance transferability and employability programmes of N-Power have a significant effects on youths’ social empowerment in South East Nigeria. The study concluded that N-Power programmes have a significant effect on youth empowerment in South East Nigeria. However, the study recommended that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management and other N-Power programme facilitators need to sustain the entrepreneurial and technical skills development programmes of N-Power as it is affecting youths’ economic empowerment positively. However, the ministry need to ensure that the agencies in charge of training beneficiaries in software and hardware skills are proficient and capable of inculcating these skills to the participants. Beneficiaries need to be provided with grants by government for business development in the areas of their proficiency to ensure that the skills they learnt does not end at the expiration of their engagement with federal government.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of contents vi
List of tables x
List of figures xi
Abstract xii
CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 4
1.3 Objectives of the Study 7
1.4 Research Questions 7
1.5 Hypotheses of the Study 8
1.6 Significance of the Study 9
1.7 Scope and Limitations of the Study 10
1.8 Limitation of the Study 12
1.9 Definition of Terms 14
CHAPTER 2:
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Conceptual Review 17
2.1.1 N-Power Programme
17
2.1.2
Youth 26
2.1.3 Empowerment
30
2.1.4 Youth
Empowerment 34
2.1.5 Four Elements of Empowerment 37
2.1.6 Types of Youth
Empowerment 43
2.1.7 The Empowerment Framework 47
2.1.8
Empowerment and Development Effectiveness: Good
Governance and Growth 49
2.1.9 Types of Empowerment 53
2.1.10 Processes of Youth Empowerment 54
2.1.11 Youth Participation and Empowerment 55
2.1.12 Youth Empowerment and its Agencies 57
2.1.13
Nature
of Youth Empowerment in Nigeria 63
2.1.14 Efforts of Government towards Youth Empowerment 66
2.1.15 Youth Empowerment and Sustainable Development 69
2.1.16 Empowering Youths for Sustainable Development in
Nigeria 71
2.1.17
Assessment
of N-power Initiative and its Impact 74
2.1.18 Relevance of Youth Empowerment 76
2.2 Theoretical Review 78
2.2.1 Psychological Empowerment Theory 79
2.2.2 Critical Youth Empowerment Framework 80
2.2.3 Critical Social Theory of Youth Empowerment 84
2.2.4 Models of Youth
Empowerment 88
2.2.5 Human
Capital Theory (HCT) 94
2.2.5.1
Application of Human
Capital Theory (HCT) to the Study 96
2.3 Empirical Review 98
2.4 Summary of Reviewed Literature 115
2.5
Gap
in Literature 117
2.6
Conceptual Framework of
N-Power Programmes and Youth Empowerment 119
CHAPTER
3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design 124
3.2 Population of the Study 124
3.3 Sources of Data Collection 125
3.4 Sample and Sampling Procedure 126
3.4.1 Sample
Size Determination 127
3.5 Validity of the Instruments 130
3.6 Reliability of the Instruments 130
3.7 Methods of Data Analysis 132
3..8 Model
Specification 132
CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION
AND ANALYSIS
4.1
Data Presentation 135
4.2
Effects of
Entrepreneurial and Technical Skills Development Programmes of
N-Power
on Youths’ Economic Empowerment in South East Nigeria 137
4.3
Effects of
Transferability and Employability Programmes of N-Power on
Youths’
Social Empowerment in South East Nigeria 141
4.4
Effects of Employment
Creation Programmes of N-Power on Youths’
Economic
Empowerment in South East Nigeria 145
4.5
Effects of Ecosystem of
Solution and Knowledge Economy Programmes of
N-Power
on Youths’ Cultural Empowerment in South East Nigeria 150
4.6
Discussion of Findings 154
CHAPTER
5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1
Summary of Findings 157
5.2
Conclusion 157
5.3
Recommendations
158
5.4
Contribution
to Knowledge 160
References
Appendix
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1: Distribution of the target
population of the study drawn from the five (5) states in South East
Nigeria. 125
Table 3.2: Distribution
of target population and sample size distribution. 129
Table
3.3: Coefficient of Correlation of the Reliability of the Research Instrument 131
Table
4.1: Number of questionnaire sampled in the selected hospitality organisations
in Abia
State and the number of questionnaire that was returned. 136
Table 4.2: Descriptive
statistics result on the effects of entrepreneurial and technical skills development
programmes of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South East Nigeria. 137
Table 4.3: Multiple Regression analysis result on the
effects of entrepreneurial and technical skills
development programmes of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South East
Nigeria. 139
Table 4.4: Descriptive
statistics result on the effects of transferability and
employability programmes
of N-Power on youths’ social empowerment in South East Nigeria. 141
Table 4.5: Multiple Regression analysis result on the
effects of transferability and employability programmes
of N-Power on youths’ social empowerment in South East Nigeria. 143
Table 4.6: Descriptive
statistics result on the effects of employment creation programmes of N-Power on youths’
economic empowerment in South East Nigeria. 145
Table 4.7: Multiple Regression analysis result
on the effect of employment creation programmes
of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South East Nigeria. 147
Table 4.8: Descriptive
statistics result on the effects of ecosystem of solution and knowledge economy
programmes of N-Power on youths’ cultural empowerment in South East Nigeria. 150
Table 4.9: Multiple Regression analysis result
on the effects of ecosystem of solution
and knowledge economy programmes of N-Power on youths’ cultural empowerment
in South East Nigeria. 152
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
2.1. Empowerment Framework 49
Figure 2.2: The six
dimensions of Critical Youth Empowerment Theory 81
Figure 2.3: Positive adolescent
empowerment cycle 83
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Nigeria is blessed with
young population that can catalyse a productive economy. Youth empowerment
through sustainable and viable programmes has over the years been a subject of significant
concern to successive and present Federal Government. Around the world, youth are social engineers, a veritable channel
or catalyst for positive changes, they possess the potentials which if
properly harnessed, promotes economic, cultural, social and political values of
a society (Usman, 2015). Osakwe (2013), reported
that, by the 2006 Census figure, the youth population in Nigeria was about 36.9
percent. No doubt, it is safe to say that a sizeable and qualitative youth
population is a blessing to any nation since it indicates availability of
future generation to whom leadership of the nation would be bequeathed. Thus, harnessing
Nigeria’s young demography through appropriate skill development and empowerment
efforts will provide opportunities to achieve national cohesion, patriotic and
loyal service to the nation and boost national productivity. To achieve the
above, youths will be adequately developed and empowered to gainfully harness
their potentials.
Therefore, youth empowerment was to
be ensured through skill acquisition and development in critical sectors such
as education, health and agriculture. Although current youth unemployment
realities appear arduous, the scale presents an underlying opportunities.
Tapping Nigeria’s youthful demographic edge through large-scale and appropriate
skills development and empowerment programmes will improve the prospects of
economic growth and social inclusion, which is the policy trust of Federal
Government Empowerment Programmes. The introduction of different empowerment
programmes by various administrations over time to tackle and address the
hydra-headed malaise of youth unemployment has been a significant issue since
the days of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP). Other social intervention and
youth empowerment effort of the Nigerian Governments subsequently include: National
Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), Poverty Alleviation
Programmes (PAP), National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), National
Directorate of Employment (NDE), Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment
Programme (SURE-P), Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), Vocational Training
Scheme (VTS), Community Services, Women and Youth Empowerment (CSWYE), Youth
Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (You-WIN) orchestrated by previous
administrations to provide youth employment (Aiyedogbon and Ohwofasa, 2012).
However,
despite these noble programmes by successive administrations,
poverty and youth unemployment rate continued to increase vertically and
exponentially, translating into social problems of more monumental and
complication proportions, attempting to defy popular government interventions
geared towards ameliorating them. Seeing these perennial problems of youth
unemployement in the country, the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari
designed and implemented the ongoing National Social Investment Programme
(NSIP) as a strategy for combating poverty and youth unemployment. The NSIP
scheme was created to enable citizen’s exit from the twin evils of poverty and
unemployment, through capacity building, investment and direct financial
support. The programme consists of four major components which include: The Job
Creation and Youth Empowerment (N- Power), National Home Grown School Feeding
Programme (NHGSFP), National Cash Transfer Programme (NCTP) and Government
Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP). N-Power; a job creation and
empowerment programme of the National Social Investment Programme of the
Federal Government of Nigeria is for young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and
35 (N-Power Information Guide, 2016).
The N-Power programmes are broadly categorised into two broad
categories, N-Power Graduate Categories and N-Power Non-Graduate Categories.
The Federal Government of Nigeria designed the N-Power Programme to address the
challenges of youth unemployment by providing a structure for large scale and
relevant work skills acquisition and development while linking its core and
outcomes to fixing inadequate public services and stimulating the economy. The
goals of the N-power programmes are; to reduce the rate of unemployment in the
country, to bring about a system that would facilitate transferability of
employability, entrepreneurial and technical skills, to bring solutions to
ailing public service and government diversification policy (Olawale, 2018).
With the programme it is believed that Nigeria will have a pool of software
developers, hardware service professionals, animators, graphic artists,
building services professionals, artisans among others. With the Non-Graduate
category (N-Power Knowledge and N-Power Build), young Nigerians are trained to
build a knowledge economy equipped with world-class skills and certification to
become relevant in the domestic and global markets (N-Power Information Guide,
2016). In addition, the programme was designed to fill the unemployment gaps in
the teaching profession in primary schools and to assist in taking basic
education to children in remote areas, especially the marginalised communities.
To that end, Nigeria Government in
2016, through N-Power, engaged and deployed two hundred thousand (200,000)
young Nigerians to public primary schools, primary healthcare centers and
agriculture development project centers in all the Local Government Areas of
Nigeria. Another three hundred thousand (300,000) young graduates was added in
2017, bringing it to total of five hundred thousand (500,000) being empowered. This
has been the largest post-tertiary engagement of human resources in Africa. The South Eastern part of Nigeria were not left in
the lurch, Nnanna Okoroafor the Facilitator of
N-power programmes in the zone disclosed that seventy thousand (70,000)
youths have benefited directly from the programmes. Though these figures are mind
burgling, one wonders if the desired goal of
empowering the youth, creating employment and sustaining its achievements are
obtainable through N-Power, because previous youth empowerment programmes had
failed due to structural factors (Salami, 2013). However, with the noble
mandates of N-Power programmes and the rate and extent of youth mobilisation
and engagement into the programmes, it is imperative to empirically appraise
its effects on youths empowerment in the projected programmes and skills
development platforms, in order to provide feedback to Nigerian Government, N-Power
coordinators (Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and
Disaster Management) and other stakeholders both at the federal and state level
on the viability of the programmes in achieving its stated mandates, which will
initiate a policy process on the sustainability of the programmes or otherwise.
Drawing from the above, it became imperative to embark on the study: An appraisal
of N-Power programmes on youth empowerment in South East Nigeria.
1.2
STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Youth unemployment unarguably remains a hydra-headed malaise in
Africa, but particularly in Nigeria. As noted in the background to the study,
successive government has implemented a range of measures to tackle this
menace. In 2016, the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari designed and
implemented the ongoing National Social Investment Scheme (NSIP) as a strategy
for combating poverty and youth unemployment of which Job Creation and Youth
Empowerment programme (N- Power) is its major facet of it, and the programme
under appraisal by this study. However, creating a programme and its
implementation to achieve set goals appear to be mutually exclusive in the
Nigeria context as efforts by successive governments to contain the
excruciating poverty, monumental unemployment and precarious situation
surrounding Nigerian youths has ended in debacle as a consequence of abysmal
and porous implementation of the said programmes. It is undisputable and
crystal clear from the blueprint initiating N-Power programmes as succinctly
enunciated in the introduction that the programmes are plausible, laudable in
purpose and are keys to closing the doors of unemployment problems in Nigeria.
However, it is startling that the problems of unemployment persisted within the
Nigerian social environment and are even tremendously increasing despite the
existence of these programmes and this breeds other social vices such as;
internet scam, armed robbery, kidnapping, insurgency, militancy, and drug
abuse, among others; thus, leaving all beholders in doubt of N-Power
Programmes’ creditability in tackling the menace of youth unemployment in
Nigeria, particularly in the South East Nigeria.
These reservations are emanating from
available statistics which revealed that Nigeria unemployment rose by 3.3
million to 20.9 million in the third quarter of 2018 (Q3’18), as reported by
National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2019). The NBS (2019), indicated that
year-on-year (YoY) the rate of unemployment rose by 3.3 million or 19 percent
to 20.9 million in Q3’18 from 17.6 million in Q3’17, while on quarterly
basis, it rose by three percent from 20.3 million in Q2’18. The report further
stated that: unemployment rate accordingly, increased from 18.8 percent in Q3’17 to 23.1 percent in Q3’18. The total number of
people classified as unemployed, which means they did nothing at all or worked
too few hours (under 20 hours a week) to be classified as employed increased
from 17.6 million in Q4 2017 to 20.9 million in Q3 2018. The 20.9 million
persons classified as unemployed as at Q3’18, 11.1 million did some
form of work but for few hours a week (under 20 hours) to be officially
classified as employed, while 9.7 million did absolutely nothing. Of the 9.7
million unemployed that did absolutely nothing as at Q3 2018, 90.1 percent of
them or 8.77 million were reported to be unemployed and doing nothing because
they were first time job seekers and have never worked before (Nnorom & Adegbesan,
2018).
Authenticating these
facts, the World Poverty Clock cited in Ogbette, Bernard-Oyoyo and Okoh (2019),
stated that Nigeria assumed the ignoble position of being the poverty capital
of the world after overtaking India, with 86.9 million of her population in
extreme poverty due to high rate of unemployment. To corroborate this
assertion, the National Bureau of Statistics (2019), reported that unemployment
rate increased to 23.1 percent, and underemployment of 16.6 percent in 2019. As
if the present situation is not scary enough, it was projected that the unemployment
rate in Nigeria will reach 33.5 percent by 2020, with severe consequences that
would be better imagined than experienced if the trend is not urgently
reversed. These statistics are the obvious situation despite that N-Power
programmes with its core mandate of youth employment creation has been in
existence for more than three years now. What went wrong? Where are we not
getting right?. Is N-Power programmes with projected youth employment creation
not the panacea? What are the effects of N-Power entrepreneurial and technical
skills development, transferability and employability programmes, employment
creation, ecosystem of solution and knowledge economy programmes on youths’
economic, social, and cultural empowerments? The present realities calls for
urgent empirical examination, in order to appraise N-Power programme and
ascertain its creditability in ameliorating youth unemployment and charting the
way forward for a robust economy and youth inclusiveness. Against this
backdrop, the study: An appraisal of N-Power programmes on youth empowerment in
South East Nigeria was initiated.
1.3
OBJECTIVES
OF THE STUDY
The broad objective of
this study is to appraise the effects of N-Power programmes on youth
empowerment in South East Nigeria. The specific objectives are to:
i.
evaluate the effects of
entrepreneurial and technical skills development programmes (software
development skill, hardware service skill, graphic artist skill, and animator’s
skill) of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South East Nigeria.
ii.
ascertain the effects of
transferability and employability programmes (teaching, instructional and
advisory solution programmes) of N-Power on youths’ social empowerment in South
East Nigeria.
iii.
examine the effects of employment
creation programmes (N-Power teach corps, N-Power knowledge, and N-power build
programmes) of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South East Nigeria.
iv.
find out the effects of ecosystem
of solution and knowledge economy programmes (N-Power creative programme, N-Power tech hardware, N-Power tech software
programmes) of N-Power on youths’ cultural empowerment in South East
Nigeria.
1.4
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The following research
questions were answered by the study:
i.
What are the effects of
entrepreneurial and technical skills development programmes (software
development skill, hardware service skill, graphic artist skill, and animator’s
skill) of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South East Nigeria?
ii.
How does transferability
and employability programmes (teaching, instructional and advisory solution
programmes) of N-Power affects youths’ social empowerment in South East
Nigeria?
iii.
What are the effects of
employment creation programmes (N-Power teach corps, N-Power knowledge, and
N-power build programmes) of N-Power on youths’ economic empowerment in South
East Nigeria?
iv.
How does ecosystem of
solution and knowledge economy programmes (N-Power creative programme, N-Power tech hardware, N-Power tech software
programmes) of N-Power affects youths’ cultural empowerment in South
East Nigeria?
1.5
HYPOTHESES
OF THE STUDY
The following hypotheses
were tested in null form:
HO1:
Entrepreneurial and technical skills development programmes (software
development skill, hardware service skill, graphic artist skill, and animator’s
skill) of N-Power does not have any significant effects on youths’ economic
empowerment in South East Nigeria.
HO2: Transferability
and employability programmes (teaching, instructional and advisory solution
programmes) of N-Power has no significant effect on youths’ social empowerment
in South East Nigeria.
HO3: Employment
creation programmes (N-Power teach corps, N-Power knowledge, and N-power build
programmes) of N-Power does not have any significant effects on youths’
economic empowerment in South East Nigeria.
HO4: Ecosystem
of solution and knowledge economy programmes (N-Power creative programme, N-Power tech hardware, N-Power tech software
programmes) of N-Power has no significant effects on youths’ cultural empowerment
in South East Nigeria.
1.6
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
Empirically, the study findings will be of immense significance to
Nigerian Government, N-Power coordinators (Federal Ministry of Humanitarian
Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management), State and Local
Governments, policy makers, non-governmental organisation both at the Federal and
State level, different stakeholders and private individuals. The study findings
will illuminate on, and unravel the viability and credibility of N-Power
programmes in achieving its blueprint of entrepreneurial, technical skills
development, employment creation and youth empowerments (economic, social and
cultural youth empowerments) among Nigerian youths, especially in the South
East Nigeria (Abia State, Imo States, Anambra
State, Enugu States and Ebonyi State). This will enable Nigerian
Government, N-Power coordinators and other stakeholders both at the Federal, State
and Local Government level to be knowledgeable of the achievement(s) of N-Power
Programmes in order to ascertain its sustainability or otherwise.
The study findings will illuminate on
the extent to which the blueprint of the programme are being achieved. This
will equip the Federal Government on ways of improving the programme to achieve
its mandates in order to enhance effective implementation of the programmes,
generate empirical data that will inform policy decision makers on issues
related to youth unemployment, job creation and empowerment. To policy makers, the
study findings will serve as a primary tool to understand the effectiveness of
their policies in relation to employment creation and youth empowerment;
thereby, serving as a guide for formulating, modifying, tracking and evaluating
policies, plans, programmes and projects meant for youth empowerment and
employment creation in the future. The study findings will also inform policy
decision on the sustainability of the programmes with in-depth modification or
scraping of the programme. The study findings will enable Federal Ministry of
Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management to reevaluate
their youth empowerment and employment creation strategy, in order to modify
their strategies to address the challenges of youth unemployment and
empowerment in Nigeria for a more robust economy. The study findings will serve
as a useful tool to non-governmental organisations and the donor community,
different stakeholders as well as business development service providers as it
will chart a way for viable strategic plan on youth empowerment, employment and
job creation strategies for sustainable economic development in their policies.
Through the findings of this study, private individuals will be acquainted on
the achievement of N-Power programmes on job creation and youth empowerment in
Nigeria, particularly South East.
Theoretically,
to academics and potential researchers, the study will be a useful tool to
further their studies in related topics, as it is the first attempt to
decompose N-Power using suitable variables that captures the programmes
blueprint. The study will also provide a novel conceptual framework that will
aid the understanding of the fundamentals and how related issues of N-Power
programmes, with youth empowerment and employment creation in Nigeria.
1.7
SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The study is an appraisal
of N-Power programmes on youth empowerment in South East Nigeria.
1.7.1
Unit
Scope
The
study was conducted in the five states making South East Nigeria (Abia, Imo, Anambra,
Enugu and Ebonyi States). Thus, all the N-Power beneficiaries in these five
states served as the study target population.
1.7.2
Content
Scope
The study focused mainly on how
N-Power programmes (entrepreneurial and technical skills development
programmes, transferability and employability programmes, employment creation
programmes and ecosystem of solution and knowledge economy programmes) have
affected youth empowerments (youths’ economic, social and cultural empowerment)
in the South East Nigeria.
1.7.3
Geographical
Scope
Geographically, the study was conducted in South
East Nigeria which comprises of Abia
State, Imo State, Anambra State, Enugu State and Ebonyi State.
The
South East Region was an administrative region in Nigeria, dating back
originally from the division of the colony Southern Nigeria in 1954. Its first
capital was Calabar. The capital was later moved to Enugu and the second
capital was Umuahia. The region was officially divided in 1967 into three new
states, the East-Central State, Rivers State and South-Eastern State.
East-Central State had its capital at Enugu, which is now part of Enugu State.
The region had the third-, fourth- and fifth-largest indigenous ethnic groups
including Igbo, Ibibio, and Ijaw. It was what later became Biafra, which was in
rebellion from 1967 to 1970. The South East Region of Nigeria was
geographically located in Southeastern Nigeria. It is bordered by the Niger
river in the West and has an administrative and cultural border with the
Northern region of Nigeria to the north. The eastern boundary lies between the
border of Nigeria and Cameroon and the southern coast is along the Gulf of
Guinea. The total surface area of the region was approximately 29,400 square
miles. In 1965, the region had a population of twelve million people and some
areas such as Owerri and those inhabited by the Annangs were one of the most
densely populated places in West Africa. The Awka region also suffered from soil
erosion.
The
region had three types of vegetation. The coastal areas in the south is
dominated by mangrove swamps and tidal waterways. Further north of the swamps
is the tropical rainforest, however, over a period of time, many of the leafy
trees of the forest were cleared for planting palm trees. In the northernmost
parts of the region is the guinea savannah. Major rivers of the region include
rivers of Niger Delta system such as Qua Iboe, Cross River, Orashi River and
Imo River. Obudu Plateau in the northeastern area, the Oban and Ikom Hills
along the eastern boundary with Cameroon were a few of the highlands in the
region. The Eastern region had an ethnically diverse population. The largest
ethnic group in the region were the Igbos. The traditional society of the Igbos
was democratic and individualistic with titles, wealth and age being the
primary determinants of prestige. During colonial rule, the Igbos spread to
other regions of British West Africa, first working as traders and laborers and
then establishing small scale businesses in Lagos and other urban districts.
The Ibibios and Efiks lived in the districts of Uyo, Opobo, Calabar, Enyong,
Eket, Creek Town, Duke Town, Old Town and Ikot Ekpene. During pre-colonial and
colonial rule, the Efiks controlled trading post up the Cross River to the
Ports of Calabar. The other ethnic groups of the Niger Delta system include the
Ijaw speaking people of Opobo, Bonny, Degema, Okrika, Buguma, Brass and
Abonnema. The Ijaws had a marked chieftaincy tradition. Other groups within the
region were the Annang of Ikot Ekpene, Yakurr, Oron, Ogoni and Ekoi. It is
under this geographical space that the study were conducted.
1.8
LIMITATIONS
OF THE STUDY
The researcher
encountered enormous limitations. The study were conducted during Novel
Covid-19 period, when there were restrictions in movement, especially
inter-state movement, social distancing and wearing of facemask. So reaching
out to the respondents which were scattered across the five southeast states
was very challenging. Thus, difficulties in eliciting information from the N-Power
beneficiaries in the southeast states of Nigeria because of covid-19 was the
major problem encountered by the researcher. To overcome this challenge, the
researcher resorted to e-questionnaire, the questionnaire were transformed to
electronic format and distributed via-email. Another problem was formatting and
transposing the questionnaire into an electronic format in order to administer
the questionnaire online because of the restrictions in movement. To overcome
this challenge, the researcher sought the help of IT expert who helped to
transform the questionnaire. When the questionnaire was formatted into an
electronic format, reaching out to the N-Power coordinators requesting to use
their database as a platform to send the electronic questionnaire to their
beneficiaries via email was another difficult task because the researcher was
not acquainted with the coordinators neither does the researcher have their contacts.
Thus, it was very difficult to establish contacts with the coordinators because
of the restrictions in movement. Through referral, the researcher was able to
establish contact with N-Power coordinators. After the researcher was able to
have access to the beneficiaries’ emails and forwarded the questionnaire to
them, ensuring that they fill out the questionnaire in due time and return it
was also a knotty task. After retrieving the questionnaire from the respondents,
extracting the data was very demanding because the questionnaire was in an electronic
format and was very numerous as they were sent from different states in the
southeastern states. However, despite all these difficulties and challenges
encountered by the researcher in the processes of conducting the study, the
researcher was very resilient and tenacious to ensure that the study was
completed in due time.
1.9
DEFINITION
OF TERMS
The following are the
operational definition of terms used in the study:
Ecosystem of solution and
knowledge economy programmes: Ecosystem of
solution and knowledge economy programmes: are those programmes imbedded in
N-Power programme design to trained train young Nigerians to build a knowledge
economy equipped with world-class skills and certification to become relevant
in the domestic and global markets. They include: N-Power creative programme, N-Power tech hardware, N-Power tech software
programmes.
Employment creation
programmes: Employment creation programmes are
those programmes imbedded in N-Power programme meant to help the beneficiaries
secure and create employment opportunities. They include: N-Power teach corps,
N-Power knowledge, and N-power build programmes.
Empowerment: Empowerment links action to needs.
Empowerment are series of interventions, economic, political, social, and
educational policies and actions orchestrated by the Federal Government of
Nigeria towards enhancing the capacities of these young person, and it
includes: economic, social, political and cultural empowerment.
Entrepreneurial and
technical skills development programmes:
Entrepreneurial and technical skills
development programmes are skill development programmes that are embedded in
the N-Power programme. They include: software developers, hardware service
professionals, animators, graphic artists, building services professionals,
artisans and others.
N-Power
programmes: N-Power programmes is component of
National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) orchestrated by the Administration
of President Muhammadu Buhari designed and implemented to combat poverty and
youth unemployment. It is the employability and enhancement programme of the
Federal Government of Nigeria, aimed at imbibing the-learn- work enterprise
culture in youth between the ages 18-34. The programme is categorised into two broad
categories, N-Power Graduate Categories and N-Power Non-Graduate Categories.
Social
Intervention Policies: Social Intervention
Policies are policies made by the Federal Government to combat poverty and youth
unemployment. It is initiated by the Federal Government in order to alleviate
the sufferings of the citizens especially poor and the vulnerable in the
society to enhance their social wellbeing, that is, to give them social and
economic protection. N-Power is part of the social intervention policies of the
Nigeria Federal Government.
Transferability and
employability programmes: Transferability and
employability programmes are programmes imbedded in N-Power designed to help
the beneficiaries learn both hard and soft skills that will enable them to be
employable, or secure and create employment opportunities, the skills become
part of them and are transferred from one trade or employment opportunity to
another. They include: teaching, instructional and advisory solution
programmes.
Youth empowerment:
Youth empowerment is the process through which young people acquire the skill,
trade, authority, employment opportunity and agency to make decisions and
implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including
youth and adults through an attitudinal, structural, and cultural enhancement.
Youth empowerment encompasses empowering young ones economically, social,
culturally and politically. The youth empowerment programme under consideration
by this study is the N-Power programme.
Youth: Youth
is a young person between the ages of 18-35 years.
Youths’ cultural empowerment:
Youths’ cultural empowerment seeks to
juxtapose narratives, languages and diverse culture identities as part of a
broad educational project that wishes to undermine the hierarchical social
divisions and classifications created by the modernist mentality. It includes
youth civil engagement, observing social norms, overcoming unethical social
divisions and classifications. All these supposedly are to be benefited by
N-Power beneficiaries.
Youths’ economic
empowerment: Youths’ economic empowerment is the
empowerment programmes that ensure young people unlock their potentials through
access to decent work that will progress towards sustainable livelihood. It
also connotes the ability to make and act on decision that involves the control
over and allocation of financial resources, it also includes youth having
access to employment opportunity, skills development programmes in order to
generate income and create wealth, as promised by N-Power programme.
Youths’ social
empowerment: Youths’ social empowerment is the
process of developing a sense of autonomy and self-confidence and acting
individually and collectively to change social relationships and the
institutions in order to liberate from poverty. It involves youth social
inclusion, self-sufficiency, self-awareness and self-confidence in acquired
skills and expertise, these are supposed to be imparted by N-Power to the
beneficiaries.
Click “DOWNLOAD NOW” below to get the complete Projects
FOR QUICK HELP CHAT WITH US NOW!
+(234) 0814 780 1594
Login To Comment