Impact of government poverty alleviation programmes on the socio-economic status of youths in ibadan metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Positive transformation of the socio-economic life of the citizenry is one of the major challenges of developing nations of the world. One of the causes of this problem is low level of investment in income generating ventures. In Nigeria, various economic empowerment programmes have been adopted to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people. Despite these programmes, poverty still exists among Nigerians especially the youth. This study therefore examines the impact of government poverty alleviation programmes on the youth. The population of the study comprised of all youths who have benefited from government poverty alleviation programmes. The Random Sampling Technique was used to select a sample of two hundred from the population. A structured questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. The data collected were analysed with the chi-square statistics. The findings revealed that a significant relationship exist between government poverty alleviation programmes and socio-economic status of youths in Nigeria. It is therefore concluded that access to poverty alleviation programmes improve income level of the youths and promote economic independence. This study then suggested that government should broaden the scope of its poverty alleviation programmes to accommodate more beneficiaries.

IFE PsychologIA Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 124-131