EVALUATION OF NATIONAL POVERTY ERADICATION PROGRAMME ON POVERTY ERADICATION IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
Poverty has been a huge perennial challenge to Nigeria. Pre- and post-independence records have always suggested that majority of the people live below poverty line, prompting various governments of Nigeria to introduce a number of schemes and programmes in an attempt to ameliorate the situation. The apparent failure of the various efforts and the resultant citizen discontent led to the creation, in 2001,of the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) in the various states of the federation, including Abia state and the federal capital territory, Abuja, with the core mandate of poverty eradication using its four schemes: Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES), Rural Infrastructure Development Scheme (RDS), Social Welfare Service Scheme (SOWESS), and National Resources Development and Conservation Scheme (NRDCS). This study evaluated the activities of NAPEP and its impact towards poverty eradication in Abia state from 2011 to 2013.Survey research design was adopted in the work. Primary and secondary sources of data collection were used to elicit information from selected staff of NAPEP Abia state and beneficiaries of the two schemes interrogated: YES and SOWESS. The primary sources consisted of questionnaires, personal observations and face-to-face interviews. The secondary sources comprised content analysis of texts, journal articles and official documents. The questionnaires were structured on a Likert scale. Population for the study was 8,700 made up of 29 staff and 8,671 beneficiaries of NAPEP programmes in Abia state. Cooperative groups and households were treated as units or single digits. Purposive sampling technique was employed in drawing a sample size of 200 beneficiaries of youth empowerment scheme, SOWESS and 5 staff members of NAPEP. Data were analysed using mean, Pearson r and independent sample t-test.The findings indicated that there was a weak correlation (r=0.212) between NAPEP employment strategy and increase in youth employment in Abia state. There was no significant relationship (p<.05) between NAPEP employment strategy and increase in youth employment in Abia state. There was no significant difference in the mean of the NAPEP officials and the youths on the impact NAPEP had on the welfare of the youths in Abia state. NAPEP did not have any significant impact on the welfare of youths in Abia state as efforts of government to reduce poverty in the state have been near fruitless because of weak implementation. Corruption and embezzlement characterized the programme in the state. The study thus recommended that more transparent, determined and stringently implemented efforts should be made to reduce poverty levels in Abia state, especially among the youths. Finally, the banks to be used should be involved during the selection and screening of beneficiaries stages to avoid ghost beneficiaries while such programmes should be more rural-centered and be reasonably funded