1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Ugochukwu (2007) writes that profile of the developing states reveals certain common characteristics; these nations with few exceptions recently emerged from colonial rule into political independence. Generally, a large proportion of the population suffers from severe deprivation in terms of fulfilling human potential and achieving wellbeing.
The broad forms of deprivation are manifested as widespread poverty, illiteracy, hunger and diseases.
The more specific characteristics are numerous. Most of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture using primitive agricultural methods involving hand labour and few tools. Foreign track is small, and exports are often primarily made up of a single commodity that is either an agricultural product or an unrefined mineral.
Labour of access to knowledge about and deices for birth control, religious and social barriers. The contraception and economic pressure and desires for large families contribute to population increase at an exponential rate.
In Nigeria, in spite of efforts to educate the people and to reduce poverty, a lack of funds, facilities and trained personnel results in slow progress toward the elimination of illiteracy and poverty. Training above the level of basic literacy is even more scare so that the development of skills and the provision of secondary and higher education are available to an extremely limited portion of the population.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Poverty is prevalent in Nigeria. According to National population census (2006) more than 80 percent Nigerians live below poverty line. Efforts made by different government agencies to checkmate poverty in the country have not yielded much positive results.
Ignorance seems to be major problem of implementing poverty alleviation programme in Ekwe Isu Local Government Area of Imo State. The people are generally unaware of such programme meant to alleviate their poverty. This is because, the government and non-governmental agencies have not adequately used the mass media informing and educating Nigerians on the existence and function of poverty alleviation agents.
Moreover, lack of skilled labour appears to be another problem of implementing poverty alleviation programmes. Most youths in Ekwe Isu local government area are illiterates and they do not possess any use skill to enable them benefit from poverty alleviation programmes so as to improve on their lives.
Also, the inability of commercial and micro-finance banks to agent soft loans to youths is a problem of implementing poverty alleviation programme in Ekwe Isu local government area of Imo States. These poor youths are skied as collateral to show their lands and landed property. In most cases, these poor youths do not have the means to satisfy these demands; hence, they find it extremely difficult to obtain loans to finance their business.
Still, poor funding of poverty alleviation programmes by the state and federal government poverty alleviation programme in the country.
This is partly due to the economic meltdown which has adversely affected the ability of the government in funding its obligations to the public. This is a major problem of implementing poverty alleviation programmes in Ekwe Isu local government area.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
This research work is structures to achieve the following objectives, which are:
- To examine the level of deprivation that are manifested as widespread of poverty, illiteracy, hunger and diseases.
- To show that Ekwe Isu has embarked on the development of mass media informing and educating Nigerians on the existence and functions of poverty alleviation agents.
- To determine the complementary roles of commercial and micro-finance bank to grant soft loan to youths as the problem of implementing poverty alleviation programme in Ekwe Isu local government area in Imo State.
- To contraception and economic pressure and cession for large families contribute to population increase at an exponential rate.
1.4 Research Questions
The research put together the following research questions:
- To what extent is poor government funding a problem of implementing poverty alleviation programmes in Ekwe Isu local government of Imo State?
- To what extent is illiteracy among Nigeria a problem of implementing poverty alleviation?
- To what extent is corruption among officials of NAPEP a problem of poverty alleviation programme in Ekwe Isus local government area in Imo State?
- To what extent is the inability of commercial banks to grant loans to poor youths a problem of implementing poverty alleviation programmes in Ekwe Isu government in Imo State?
1.5 Significance of the Problem
The significance of the study will go along way to help a lot of people to appreciate the role of government in community development. With this, our youths, governmental, non-government, the general public and spiritual individual to assist these governmental bodies because of their unqualified important in the community and national development, this work can also serve in other areas to come together and embark on self help to improve the status of individuals in the society.
This work can as well provide the general work for other researchers who may wish to make some inquiry into the role of individual in national development and how these roles may be improved.
- Poverty is prevalent in Nigeria. Therefore, this study is on real socio-economic problem of Nigerians.
- The findings of the study will be of great assistance to future researchers in this area of study.
This study can be assistance to research institutions who may wish to carry out findings on activities and contribution of individual groups to the society.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The study will only be concerned with the role of individual in the development of Ekwe Isu. As a matter of fact, it will be based on finding in some communities that make up Ekwe Isu council Imo State. I indend to find out the different individual association that exists in these communities and their impacts to development over the year.
1.7 Delimitation of the Study
The study is concentrated on the problems militating against poverty alleviation programmes in Ekwe Isu Local government area of Imo State.
1.8 Definition of Terms
It is paramount important to define some of the terms used in this research study since these terms could have different meaning to avoid semantic difficulties. The following terms are operationally defined in this study as follows:
Individual participation:
In community development group, participation entails about the individual group participation in the development of the community ensuring with development of communities.
Poverty:
People unaware of such programme meant to alleviate their poverty, because government and non-government agencies have not adequately used the mass media in informing and educating them.
Illiteracy:
Is responsible for the inability of the mass of Nigeria to benefit from poverty alleviation programmes in the country.
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