Project Materials

ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF KEKE NAPEP AS A POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAME IN AKWA IBOM STATE.

ABSTRACT

The study looks at how the KEKE NAPEP program of the Federal Government Poverty Eradication Programs has helped to alleviate poverty among youths in Akwa Ibom State’s Uyo Local Government Area. The poverty rate caused by unemployment has reached a frightening level in Nigeria. This spurred Nigeria’s Federal Government to establish the National Poverty Eradication Programme in 2000, which included the introduction of the iconic tricycle “Keke Marwa” to alleviate the suffering of unemployed youths. The study’s purpose is to investigate the impact of KEKE NAPEP; to determine how far it has truly alleviated poverty among youth; to investigate the operational difficulties encountered by the operators and potential solutions to those problems; to determine whether the cost of maintenance, registration, and so on is a major impediment to the successful operation of KEKE NAPEP; and to equally investigate the ownership structure, mode of purchase, and how much they make daily. A total of one hundred questionnaires were requested and distributed to operators in the Uyo local council of Akwa Ibom State, with the results evaluated.

Chapter one

Introduction

Poverty’s complex character makes it difficult to define precisely. Poverty is also a relative concept, referring to an individual’s view of his or her social standing in comparison to others in a given community. Such a notion underpins the position of economists who argue that poverty cannot be measured. Okoh, (1998).

However, other researchers have attempted to define poverty. For example, Ravallion and Bidani (1994) define poverty as a lack of command over basic consumer demands, which results in insufficient food, clothing, and shelter. Aluko N.L. (1975) and Sen N.L. (1987) described poverty as a lack of particular capabilities, such as the ability to engage with dignity in society endeavours.

Poverty is sometimes described as the inability to meet a minimum level of living. World Development Report (1990). Definition of a poor person. A poor person is defined as someone who is unemployed, unable to support himself or his family, and who does not have money, a farm, or a business.

Adolescent males and females are poor if they do not have a parent, an education, adequate food, clothing, or health. A poor person is described as one who is undernourished and ageing quickly, one who lacks self-confidence

looks unclean, and lives in a filthy environment, one who cannot provide for his family, educate his children, or pay medical bills. (World Bank, 1992).

Women and children are the most vulnerable to poverty, with the majority of them living in rural areas or migrating from rural areas and being unable to find work in metropolitan areas. Aina and Odebiyi (1997) attributed urban poverty to a high rate of urbanisation, which is accompanied by a high rate of migration, population density, a high rate of population growth, unemployment, inflation, and poor governance (such that urban centres in Nigeria generally lack basic social infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population).

Poverty became widespread in Nigeria following the adoption of the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP). When Babangida took over the government from Buhari, the former agreed to implement the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions since poverty had become visible in Nigeria, particularly among rural people, leading to rural-urban migration.

According to D.O. Elumilade (2006), Babangida squandered over 100 billion Naira on ghost projects. These projects included the one established by his wife

Better Life programs for the poor, DEFRI, People’s Bank of Nigeria, two democratic transition attempts, and other major corruption in the Babangida regime that profited themselves (D.O. Elumilade, 2006).