IMPACT OF KEKE NAPEP AS POVERTY ALLEVIATION STRATEGY

IMPACT OF KEKE NAPEP AS POVERTY ALLEVIATION STRATEGY

ABSTRACT

The study concerns how the KEKE NAPEP programme of Federal Government Poverty Eradication Programmes has fared in alleviating poverty among youths in Ojokoro Local Government Area of Lagos State. Poverty rate occasioned by unemployment has consumed a frighten dimension in Nigeria. This prompted the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2000 to set up National Poverty Eradication Programme by introducing the famous tricycle “Keke Marwa” to alleviate thesuffering of the unemployed youth. The purpose of the study concern

1. To examine the impact of KEKE NAPEP.
2. To examine how far it has truly alleviate poverty among the youth.
3. To examine the operational difficulties encountered by the operators and the possible ways of
   alleviating to those problems.
   To see whether cost of maintenance, registration etc in a major obstacle to thesuccessful operation of KEKE
   NAPEP.
4. To equally examine the ownership structure, mode of purchase and how much they make daily.
   A total of one hundred questionnaires was desired and administered to operators in Ojokoroarea council of Lagos State and the result analysed.
   
5. CHAPTER ONE
   
6. 1.1 INTRODUCTION
   
7. Poverty, as of its multidimensional nature, does not lend itself to easy definition. Poverty is also a relative concept
   involving the individual perception of his/her social standing inrelation to others in a given society. Such idea informs
   the stand of those economists who believe that poverty cannot be measured. Okoh, (1998).
   However, different researchers have tried to define poverty. For instance, Ravallion andBidani (1994) refer to poverty
   as a lack of command over basic consumption needs that are a situation of inadequate level of command over basic
   rise to insufficient food, clothing and shelter. Aluko N.L. (1975), Sen N.L. (1987) defined poverty as a lack of certain
   capabilities such as being able to participate with dignity in societal endeavors.
   Poverty has also been defined as the inability to attain a minimum standard of living. World Development Report,(
   1990).
   Definition a poor person A poor person is considered as one without job, who canno help himself
   or cater for his family, who has no money, farm or business. Adolescent males and females are poor if they have no
   parent, no education, no good food, clothes and health. A poor person is described as one who
   is undernourished and aging fast, one without self confidence, looks dirty and lives in filthy environment, one who
   cannot cater for his family, train his children in the school and unable to pay medical bill (The World Bank, 1992)
   The major category of people vulnerable to poverty are women and children, majority of whom live in the rural areas,
   or migrate from rural areas with cannot fit into many of theurban jobs. Aina and Odebiyi (1997) attributed urban
   poverty to high rate of urbanization, accompanied with high rate of migration, population density, high rate of
   population growth, the unemployment, inflation and bad governance (such that urban centres in Nigeria generally
   lack basic social infrastructures to meet the needs of the teaming population.
   Poverty becomes widespread in Nigeria after the implementation of Structural AdjustmentProgramme (SAP)
   in Nigeria. When Babangida seized the government from Buhari, the former agreed to implement the International
   Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionality becausepoverty had become glaring in Nigeria most especially among the rural
   dwellers leading torural-urban migration. It is in record that Babangida wasted more than 100 billion Naira on
   phantom projects, D.O. Elumilade, (2006). These projects included the one initiated by his wife, Better Life
   progammes for the poor, DEFRI, People’s Bank of Nigeria, two democratic transition experiments and other big time
   corruption in Babangida regime enrichedthemselves D.O. Elumilade, (2006).
   Poverty in Nigeria cuts across different strata of the society in all the thirty six states and Abuja the FCT of the
   country. However, the position of Lagos state as the former capital of Nigeria as well as the commercial nerve centre
   of the country made the problem to be more pronounced. Lagos poses as an attraction various rural
   settlements in Nigeria; particularly the youths who see Lagos as a place full of economical opportunities.
   However, the excessive influx of people from all parts of the country into Lagos over the lasty affected the economy
   distribution of wealth, resources and infrastructures. This has created a form of economic imbalance whereby the
   available wealth, resources and infrastructures appear to be distributed among the influential and the elites in the
   society.
   A major manifestation of poverty in the state is seen in crime rate, malnutrition, large number of street urchins (Area
   boys) and the establishment of many slums in and around the Lagos metropolis by people who cannot afford to get
   good shelter for themselves. Some of these slums include: the Maroko, Ajegunle and Mushin to mention but a
   few. Condition of living in these settlements are so bad that those people cannot afford the basic need such as good
   food, good shelter, good clothing etc. People in these settlements also lack access to basic infrastructures such as
   road, good education, good medical facilities among other things. Another manifestation of poverty is seen in the over
   stretched usage of the available resources like roads, health care facilities, power (electrical installations), water,
   transport system etc. A very important resultant effect of poverty or economy imbalance in Lagos is seen in the
   breeding of touts and miscreants popularly known as ‘Agbero’ or “Omoota” i.e. Motor Park touts. These people are so
   ruthless in their conducts that they constitute major threat to the peace and safety as well as the security of lives and
   property in the state.
   Poverty has many root causes, while it is primarily related to very low income earners; is in many dimensions
   especially in malnutrition, ill health and illiteracy.
   
8. 1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
   
9. The persistence of massive poverty in Nigeria has created myriads of social maladies and security challenges. There
   is no doubt that there are some factors within the poor that are responsible for this morally unconscionable plague.
   Hitherto obvious lack of concerted institutional and policy framework in Nigeria to tackle the scourge of poverty
   constituted a major challenge. It is on the bases of these facts this research is designed to provide solution to the
   following questions:
10. What are the effects of poverty on the urban dwellers?
11. What is the relationship between keke NAPEP initiative and poverty reduction among operators?
12. Are there any factors militating against the success of keke NAPEP in poverty alleviation?
13. What are the durability and efficiency as well as overall maintenance implication of keke NAPEP?
14. What are the contributory effects of road network, traffic and transport officials of keke NAPEP?
    
15. 1.3 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
    
16. The following hypothesis will be tested at 0.5 significance:
17. Keke NAPEP has significantly reduced poverty among its operators.
18. Keke NAPEP is not expensive to maintain and operate.
19. Road network has no significant influence on keke NAPEP operation.
20. There is no significant relationship between traffic and profitability.
    
21. 1.4 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY
    
    The issue of poverty among the Nigeria population is a very important one. It significant reduction is a task that the
    past and present government have continue to address by coming up with different programmes and strategies. One
    of such programmes is KEKE NAPEP which was introduced more than 10 years. This study is necessary in order to
    know the programme has performed in term of poverty alleviation.
    The findings of this study are expected to determine the achievement or problem(s) being encountered by the
    programme in the study area in order to come up with appropriate solution.
    
22. 1.5 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
    
23. The broad objective of the study is to examine the impact of KEKE NAPEP as poverty alleviation strategy in Ojokoro
    Local Government Area of Lagos State. The specific objectives are:
    (i) To determine if there is improvement in the economic well-being of the operators in the study area or not.
    (ii) To determine the suitability of working environment for KEKE NAPEP in the study area.
    (iii) To determine whether the average revenue of operators is influenced by the period of operation or not.
    (iv) To identify the various costs incurred by the operators in the study area.

IMPACT OF KEKE NAPEP AS POVERTY ALLEVIATION STRATEGY