Effectiveness of Government Intervention Strategies And Youth Unemployment in Kogi State, NIGERIA 2000-2010

ABSTRACT

Poverty has been described as the unacceptable living standard orchestrated by absolute lack of basic amenities of life, clothing, and lack of proper food, lack of portable drinking water, Unemployment and poverty have been the greatest challenges of the Nigerian government, especially, the Kogi State government. This led to a lack of empowerment for the youth which posed a threat of insecurity to nuclear families of Kogi people, the government at all levels and entire citizens. All efforts by the Kogi State government since 2000 have not actually yielded many positive results. Unemployment has been persistent, despite the government’s efforts in tackling it with all kinds of institutionalized policies, decrees/acts and other enabling laws/enactments, such as National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP), National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies (NEEDS), and government’s Public Service Reforms. These have not really ameliorated this geometrically increasing problem of the government which has direct negative effect on the development of the state. This study embarked on determining the effects of the strategies employed by Kogi State government on youth unemployment in the state. Survey design methods were applied in our data gathering for the primary and secondary sources. The primary sources were questionnaires, interviews and participant observations. While the secondary sources including books, journals, government official documents on unemployment and poverty reduction programmes, other documents and internet materials. Data were analyzed using frequency tables, percentages, regression analysis and Chi-square. The interventionist programmes of the Kogi State government played a positive impact and they have been very effective in the development of the state. In the course of our research, we discovered that many strategies were employed by the government of Kogi State to create employment opportunities and alleviate poverty. For instance, many of the unemployed and the youth, especially, those who were trained in skill acquisition were gainfully employed. The government granted soft loans to some of these unemployed through micro finance banks. Useful suggestions on possible ways of expanding employment opportunities and poverty alleviation were adduced.