POVERTY, PROGRAMMES, YOUTH, GOVERNMENT, STRATEGIES

Abstract

The menace of poverty and its consequential effects on the State and the citizenry is much alarming in most part of Nigeria and Yobe State inclusive. Whereas extensive effort exists among government, non-governmental and other development partners in curbing worrisome situations executed through concerted developmental projects and programmes.  In most respect, the perennial efforts of the governments and non-governmental groups in combating the poverty has yield less as the incidence continued to manifest both in the social and political livelihood of the vast majority of the population. This study thus investigated the perceptions of the citizens toward the strategies and programmes adopted to cushion the effect of the poverty among youth in Yobe state. The study is designed on a survey approach with which data was collected through structured questionnaire administered on 100 participants that were scientifically selected through probability approach. The data revealed an inefficiency of poverty alleviation programmes in curtailing the poverty crisis in the state. Others are poor technical knowledge of programmes, improper selections of beneficiaries, politicization of programmes, lack of awareness and non-inclusion of target beneficiaries in decision processes among other reasons undermining the successes of the programmes. The study recommends that government and development partners should prioticise the bottom –top approach to their decision processes. Thorough public and community awareness campaigns should be taken before any mobilization of programmes.