THE EFFECT OF NPOWER PROGRAMME ON YOUTHS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study: The Nigerian federal government is the one that is financially supporting the N-Power youth empowerment programme. N-Power addresses the problem of high youth unemployment by establishing a framework for the widespread and pertinent acquisition and development of work skills. At the same time, it connects the program's fundamentals and results to the improvement of insufficient public services and the stimulation of the larger economy (Morris 2022). The goal of N-Power is to provide a platform that allows the vast majority of Nigerians access to skill learning and development opportunities. Participants in N-Power must be Nigerian nationals and must be between the ages of 18 and 35. N-modular Power's training programmes will ensure that each participant acquires and practises the vast majority of the skills necessary to either find or create jobs for themselves (Ajoku 2021). However, Nigeria is a country that is well endowed with enormous human and natural resources as well as a desirable geographical placement on the world map. The country's population is projected to be 170 million people (NBS, 2013). The ongoing crisis in the global financial markets has had a detrimental effect on both the macro and the micro sectors of the economy in Nigeria (Mba 2021). Both the government and well-meaning individuals face significant dangers and difficulties as a result of the current scenario, which poses considerable concerns. Insincerity, overdependence on foreign goods, low economic growth and development, a lack of capacity and skills needed to move the economy forward, and urbanisation are some of the challenges that Nigeria, along with the majority of developing nations around the world, is confronted with. These challenges include high rates of poverty, conflict, and diseases; high unemployment rates among youth and graduates; high rates of poverty; and a high rate of poverty (Mba 2021). Unemployment has developed into a significant issue that plagues the lives of young people in Nigeria, leading to feelings of helplessness, depression, and dependence on one's family and friends. The high unemployment rate among young people in Nigeria is one of the factors that has led to the high poverty and insecurity levels in the country (Ajufo, 2013). According to the data provided by the National Population Commission, more over thirty years old do not constitute a majority of the Nigerian population (2013). Awogbenle and Iwuamad (2010) observed from the statistics that they obtained from the National Manpower Board and the Federal Bureau of statistics that Nigeria has a youth population of eighty (80) Million people, which accounts for sixty percent of the country's total population. These statistics were obtained from the National Manpower Board and the Federal Bureau of statistics, respectively. One million six hundred thousand (1.6 million) of them are considered to be in precarious employment, while sixty-four million of them are jobless. According to Ossal and Nwalado (2012), the need for empowerment programmes first became apparent in the middle of the 1980s, at a time when there was political instability and inconsistencies in the socio-economic policies of successive governments, a high level of unemployment, large-scale layoffs of workers, and early retirements as a result of structurally adjusted policies and negative economic trends (Morris 2022). There was little incentive from the federal government for public or private investors to become involved in empowerment programmes in the face of these obstacles. These circumstances provide significant obstacles, not just to the continued life of people but also to the growth of nations. The N-Power programme is able to give the training of educated men and women who are able to operate successfully in the society in which they live in terms of self-employment and being self-reliant, which is necessary to salvage these circumstances (Ajoku 2021). The N-Power programme was investigated in this study as a potential instrument for the empowerment of young people in Nigeria on the basis of this concept. Nigeria is faced with a number of challenges that can only be overcome if the country's population is creative, well-educated, and willing to be trained. Nigeria's citizens, no matter what walks of life they come from, must have the spirit and inquisitiveness to think in new ways, as well as the courage to face and adapt to the challenges that are in front of them (Ajoku 2021). A thriving economy would require a greater number of young people who are willing and able to be trained; who can launch and successfully develop their own commercial or social ventures; and who will become innovators in the larger organisations in which they work. At the same time, given the current socio-economic and political climate of the country, this would require a greater number of young people who are willing and able to be trained. ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e – ISSN: 1857 – 7431 114 European Scientific Journal, issue October 2013, volume 9, number 28 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) Every year, a large number of graduates from the many institutions in Nigeria report that they have a tough time finding job. This is a typical occurrence. This is due, in part, to the fact that the courses offered at universities and other types of higher institutions place a focus on preparing students for careers in white-collar fields (Osibanjo, 2006). The current socioeconomic scenario in Nigeria presents grave dangers and difficulties for the administration as well as for the well-being of the people living in the country as a whole. The issues surrounding unemployment make it necessary to adopt a variety of tactics and approaches if they are to be resolved. Nearly every young person in Nigeria has signed up for the N-Power initiative, proving beyond a reasonable question both its capacity and its efficiency in kickstarting the nation's economy (Mba 2021). It is thought that refocusing the N-Power initiative will make a significant contribution to the growth of an attitude and culture that values empowerment throughout the country. Not only is it vital for the N-Power programme to mould the mentalities of young people, but it is also essential for the programme to give the skills and information that are essential to the development of an empowering culture (Morris 2022). The N-Power programme gives young people who are jobless the drive, the knowledge, and the skills that are necessary for starting a successful venture firm (Cho, 2017). If it is incorporated into the national system with the level of seriousness it deserves, indoctrination can begin at a young age and lead to the development of mindsets, generic attributes, and skills that are the foundations of N-Power. This can be accomplished through the development of mindsets, generic attributes, and skills that are the foundations of N-Power. Because having a job is essential to forming the attitudes, abilities, and culture of young people, it is very necessary that the N-Power programme be handled from an early stage all the way up to the level of its long-term viability. In order to improve the competitive advantage not just of students but also of the societies and nations in which they are involved, the N-Power programme should be made available to all jobless people, independent of the main courses and study options they have chosen (Morris 2022). It has been shown that there is a link between empowerment and development, and as a result, empowerment is now widely recognised on a global scale as an important development index. It is impossible to overstate the significance of empowerment since it is a basic human right; as a result, there is a pressing requirement to include the N-Power programme in the system that is designed to reduce unemployment. In light of the aforementioned, the following topics will be covered in this article: the conceptual framework; the importance of the N-Power programme; the need for the N-Power programme; the rationale for fostering the N-Power programme; its achievements; and problems for the effective implementation of the N-Power programme in Nigeria (Morris 2022). At long last, the path forward will be brought into focus. 

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Analysis of youth unemployment by geographical/settlement location (rural and urban areas) indicates that youth unemployment is mostly in rural areas and rapidly growing: From 2011 to 2017, the share of unemployed youth in rural areas increased from 47.59 percent to 59.95 percent. The population of unemployed youth in rural areas rose from 2.9 million in 2010 to about 5.9 million in 2016. Public policies directed at addressing youth unemployment have faced different challenges including finance, the absence of good administration and implementation, inconsistent policies, unimpressive responses from would-be trainees, and unqualified resource personnel handling the training programs. Programs that were expected to be successful but did not meet those expectations were those created in the 1980s and have not drastically improved in spite of modifications over the years. For example, the National Accelerated Poverty Reduction Program (NAPEP) was too big for its meager budgetary allocation over the years. Many of the available funds for the program went to overhead and administrative costs in offices spread over the entire country, limiting its impact. Similarly, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) had no openings of its own to engage unemployed youth, providing only vocational training to young school leavers. There have been insufficient funds to provide start-off capital for the youth who complete their training. It against this background that this study intends to examine the impact and possibility of N-Power programme not being unsuccessful.

​​​​​​​OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of npower programme on youths in Nigeria.

Specific objectives of this study are to:

1. Evaluate the value of N-Power programme amongst youth in Nigeria

2. To ascertain how well N-Power programme as enhance youth empowerment

3.  To ascertain the upshot of N-Power programme on the productivity of the youth

4. To evaluate how well is N-Power programme implemented in organizations.

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

Hypothesis 1

 H0: N-Power programme does not enhance economic growth

H1: N-Power programme enhance economic growth

Hypothesis 11

H0: N-Power programme do not enhance youth empowerment

H1: N-Power programme enhance youth empowerment

​​​​​​​SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is imperative to know that at the completion of this study the findings will be beneficial to the government (ministry of youth and sport), the potential social welfare in human capital development, and skill acquisition, the academia, youths and the general public. The study will also serve as a reference to other researchers that will embark on this topic

​​​​​​​SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study covers N-Power programme on youth empowerment in Nigeria. The researcher encounters some constrain which limited the scope of the study;

 a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study

b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

N-POWER: This is a Federal Government of Nigeria programme under the social investment programme for job creation and empowerment initiatives. It is a programme of the FGN to help reduce unemployment by helping them to create jobs and engaging them in activities while unemployed

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT: Youth empowerment is a process where children and young people are encouraged to take charge of their lives. They do this by addressing their situation and then take action in order to improve their access to resources and transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study