Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development: An Assessment of N Power Programme in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Youth empowerment and poverty alleviation as a measure of sustainable development has for a long time been an issue of concern to past and present administration in Nigeria and has become one of the terms equated with development. This study examined social investment program (N power scheme) of the Buhari administration between 2019 and 2023, and how it has impacted on the livelihood of the poor and youths in Delta State. The study employed the Marxian political economy theory as propounded by Marx and Engels (1962). The applicability of Marxist theory in addressing unemployment, poverty, insecurity and development in Nigeria stems from the fact that such threats of unemployment (the ?reserve army of unemployed?), can only be alleviated via strict regulation of the market. Descriptive and inferential statistics used to analyse data in this study included: frequency distribution, simple percentages and the Pearson‘s Product Moment Correlation Co efficient (r) with the t test which was used to validate the hypotheses. at 0.05 level of significance. With a sampled size of 400 determined through the Taro Yemane‘s sample size technique and distributed to each of the job roles of N Power participant (N Teach, N Tax, N Agro, N Health). The study revealed among others that, there is a significant relationship between N Power social intervention and the empowerment level of youths towards poverty alleviation in Delta State. Finally, the study recommended that entrepreneurial or skills development centers should be adequately funded, equipped and be given the due attention by government at all levels in order to serve as a hub for massive employment generation.