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REVIEW OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF N-POWER PROGRAMME TO POVERTY

REDUCTION AND ACHIEVEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN
NIGERIA

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 FUDMA Economic and Development Review
FUDMA ECONOMIC AND Volume 4, Issue 2, 2020
DEVELOPMENT REVIEW

Published by:
Department of Economics & Development Studies,
Federal University Dutsin-Ma,
Katsina State,
Volume 4, Issue 2, 2020 Nigeria.
© 2020. Department of Economics and Development Studies, Editorial Board
Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State.

ISSN 2616-0846 Editor-in-Chief

Prof. I.A. Pedro

All rights reserved. Except for academic purposes, no part of this publication Managing Editor
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Information contained in this journal has been published by the Department of Dr. Anthony Ihuoma
Economics and Development Studies, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, and has
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iv v
 The Impact of Agricultural and Oil Outputs on Economic Growth in
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Nigeria
Shuaibu Ubangida & Mariam Isiaka 148-166
Stakeholder-Ship in University Education: Issues in the
Implementation of the Integrated Payroll Personnel Information Remittances and Economic Growth: Panel Evidence from Selected
System in Nigerian Public Universities Sub-Saharan African Countries
Samuel Ayodele Majekodunmi 1-18 Shan'una Lawal& Ali Salisu 167-183
Review of the Contribution of N-Power Programme to Poverty Social Engineering Awareness and Vulnerability to Attack: A Case
Reduction and Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in Study of Osun State Owned Tertiary Institutions
Nigeria Akinbode Sangodapo & Lawrence Femi Ademiluyi 184-196
Abubakar Orlando Ijoko, Emmanuel Luke Balami & Mohammed
Alkali 19-35 Economic Growth and Human Capital in Nigeria: A Nonlinear
Autoregressive Distributed Lag Approach
Impact of Human Capital Development on Economic Growth in Emmanuel Umale Abbah, Jerome Terhemba Andohol & Joseph Tarza
Nigeria (1981-2016) Sokpo 197-218
Onimisi Musari Aliyu, Abubakar Orlando Ijoko, Maria Abdullahi &
Musa Abdullahi Sakanko 36-50 Note to contributors 219-223

Rail Transportation Expenditure and Nigeria's Economic Growth: An

Empirical Analysis
Adewale E. Adegoriola 51-66

Impact of Security Spending On Insecurity in Nigeria: Empirical

Evidence
W.F. Ohioze & A.O. Osobase 67-91

Impact of Debt Overhang on Public Debt in Nigeria (1981-2018)

Abdulrahman Mohammed, Salam Shuaib Mohammed & Murtala
Ibrahim 92-108

An Evaluation of the Link between Informal Wood Trade and Poverty

Reduction in Northern Nigeria
Naseer Babangida Muazu 109-132

Plan-Budget Link in Nigeria: ERGP, MTEF and the Annual Budget

Adeyemi A. Fajingbesi & Terfa W. Abraham 133-147
vii viii

REVIEW OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF N-POWER PROGRAMME
TO POVERTY REDUCTION AND ACHIEVEMENT OF
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN NIGERIA
Abubakar Orlando Ijoko1*, Emmanuel Luke Balami2** & Mohammed
3***
Alkali
1,3
Department of Economics, Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB)
2
Department of Management, Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB)
* **
abuijoko@gmail.com, imabalami@gmail.com,
***
malkaliaccama1990@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the contribution of N-power programme to poverty
reduction and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals in
Nigeria. Drawing from extant literature, the study found that N-power has
contributed to poverty reduction in Nigeria in that it has provided jobs for
young graduates and non-graduates. It has a good geographical spread
devoid of political influence, and has also made volunteers to acquire work
experience and ICT skills which are germane to today's working
environment. This study recommends that Government should ensure
equitable distribution of volunteers per state in future engagements, and
ensure that there is synergy between N-power and other components of the
SIP to facilitate achievement of goal one of the Sustainable Development
Goals which is the total eradication of poverty. To sustain the gain of the N-
power programme, there is need for the federal government to create an
enabling environment through its various policies such as grants and
microcredit to beneficiaries to enable them becomes self-employed and at
the end employers of labour. For example, N-Agro components can go into
farming to support the government in achieving food security, N-teach can
also operate private schools in their various communities and the N-health
can equally provide some healthcare service to people. Peradventure, if
these businesses are run successfully, they can create jobs for other youths
thereby lifting the burden of unemployment from the government. The
effect of such policies in a nation can ultimately lead to sustainable
development.
Keywords: N-power; Poverty; Sustainable Development Goals.
19
FUDMA Economic and Development Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2020
1. INTRODUCTION
Nigeria, with a projected population of 203 million people, is the most
populous country in Africa NBS (2019). And of this population size, the poor
population has increased from 86million to 98million people in the last 10 years
UNDP (2019). It is in the realization of the importance of pursuing urgent
poverty reduction that the Nigerian government joined other world leaders at
the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 where the 2030 agenda for
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was adopted. The seventeen
Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets were announced
demonstrating the new agenda for all member countries. The SDG seeks to
build on the MDG and complete what they (MDGs) could not achieve. Since
then, various poverty reduction strategies have been initiated and implemented
by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to make more basic
human needs available or increase in per capita income. Notably among these
programmes is the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) which
includes N-Power, Home Grown School Feeding, Trader Moni and
Conditional Cash Transfer.
In Nigeria, extreme poverty is still a major developmental challenge
that has defied solutions over the years. The paradox of poverty amid prosperity
is aptly depicted in Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa and the country is
massively endowed with human and material resources. Yet, from the 1980s to
date poverty has been on a steady rise in Nigeria. Poverty in Nigeria has been
directly connected with the upsurge in criminal activities such as kidnapping,
militancy and armed robbery. Also, Boko Haram insurgency in North-Eastern
Nigeria is said to be fueled by pervasive poverty which has bedeviled that part
of the country (Ozden and Udeh, 2018).
Different governments at different times in their efforts to alleviate
poverty through sustainable development, has established several poverty
reduction programmes in Nigeria. For example, the former Military President,
Ibrahim Badomasi Babangida in 1986 set up the National Directorate of
Employment (NDE) as a skill formation and credit-granting scheme to
accelerate entrepreneurship development. Similarly, the then First Lady, Mrs.
Maryam Babangida in 1987 introduced Better Life Programme (BLP)
intending to motivate women in the rural areas towards a better life and to
sensitize the people on the plight of rural women. People's Bank of Nigeria
(PBN) was also established to provide credit to the underprivileged citizens
with legitimate businesses both in the rural and urban areas who find it difficult
to access credit facilities from the conventional banks. (Oyeranti and
20
 Ijoko, Balami & Alkali
Olayiwola,2005). Also, the Directorate of Food and Rural Infrastructure
(DFFRI) was set up in 1986 while Mass Mobilization for Social and Economic
Reconstruction (MAMSER) was established in 1989 by the same
administration (Agbamu, 2006). The administration of President Olusegun
Obasanjo established Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Development
Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) in
2000 to ensure improvement in the socio-economic status of farmers and rural
dwellers. The National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) was
established in 2001 to train youths in vocational trades, improve the socio-
economic wellbeing of Nigeria's rural populace, with a properly structured
organizational frame-work for its achievement (Aliu, 2001, cited in Joseph,
2005; Gumwa, 2009). Also, the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment
Program (SURE-P) founded in 2012 by the administration of President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to manage government share of savings from the
removal of fuel. With this alarming poverty rate bedevilling Nigeria; it is
pertinent to ask what went wrong with the previous policies of government
regarding poverty reductions? Because available statistics have shown that
poverty is still on the high side regardless of these measures, currently, about
112.5 million Nigerians live in relative poverty condition (Ozden and Udeh,
2018).
This paper reviews the contribution of N-power programme of the
administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to poverty reduction and how
it has contributed to the achievement of the goal one of the SDG. Also, this
study will review empirical studies that have been conducted to examine
various poverty reduction programmes of government in different countries to
draw inferences from their findings and compare them with the N-power
programme in Nigeria. This paper is structured into five sections thus;
Introduction, Literature, Methodology, Results and Discussion, and
Conclusions.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Conceptual Literature
Poverty: Poverty has a different definition based on the understanding of the
authors. According to Ajakaiye (1998), poverty is a state where a person is
unable to meet his or her basic needs like water, food, shelter, education and
including non-essentials like identity etc. Latifee (2003) in another study
recognized that poverty may be due to a person's lack of social, economic and
political privileges due to lack of income, basic human capacities, institutional
21
FUDMA Economic and Development Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2020
defence, and sometimes all of these combined.
World Bank (2008) defined poverty as deprivation in well-being, and
comprises many dimensions, which includes low incomes and the inability to
acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity (World
Bank, 2008). Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and education,
poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of
voice, and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one's life.
Edoh (2003) attempted to shed more light on what constitutes poverty
when he asserts: “poverty has various manifestations, including lack of income
and productive resources sufficient to ensure sustainable livelihood; hunger
and malnutrition, ill-health; limited or lack of access to education and other
basic services, increased morbidity and mortality from illness, homelessness
and inadequate housing; unsafe environments, social discriminations and
exclusion”. It is also characterized by a lack of participation in decision and
civil, social and cultural life. That is, they have little or no material means of
surviving, education, and other physical means of living and improving one's
life.
According to World Bank (2001) cited in Ucha (2010), poverty is a
multidimensional phenomenon, which encompasses dimensions such as the
lack of empowerment, opportunity and security. Due to the lack of
opportunities poor masses remain inactive in the society, as the lack of security
and empowerment increase their vulnerability to diseases, crime, violence and
the restriction of their choices in almost everything in the society.
Nigeria's poverty incidence has been on the alarming rate irrespective
of both global and national policies to combat the situation, and the rising
poverty has been undermining the growth of the economy.
N-Power: N-Power is a programme designed by the administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari to provide job for all youths of Nigeria between
18 and 35years of age. It is a paid volunteering programme of two years'
duration but running into the 5th year. In the specifications of the programme,
graduates are required to undertake their primary tasks in identified public
services within their proximate communities. The programme is designed such
that each beneficiary is given a mobile device and they are entitled to a monthly
mobile data of their network providers aside from their monthly stipend. The
mobile data enable them to connect to the internet to access training materials
installed on the tablet to aid their work. (Federal Government of Nigeria, 2017).
The programme has the following categories; a. Graduate Category
22
 Ijoko, Balami & Alkali
which comprises N-Power Volunteer Corps, b. Non-Graduate Category
comprising N-Power Knowledge and N-Power Build.
The Goals of the programme are; a. To intervene thereby directly
improve the livelihood of the young unemployed Nigerians, b. To develop a
qualitative system that is capable of transferring employability, entrepreneurial
and technical skills, c. To create an ecosystem of solutions for the ailing public
service, and diversify government policies, d. To develop a knowledge base
economy for Nigeria.
Key Areas of the N-Power volunteer corps under the graduate category
are:
(a) N-power Teach: Under the N-Power Teach, volunteers are deployed as
teachers assistants in primary schools in their various localities that appears to
be understaffed in Nigeria. They are expected to provide teaching,
instructional, and advisory solutions to the schools. N-Power Teach
beneficiaries are expected to help improve basic education delivery in Nigerian
schools.
(b) Under the N-Power Health strand of the programme, N-Power Health
beneficiaries are required to assist in improving and promoting preventive
healthcare in their communities to vulnerable members of the society including
pregnant women and children and families and individuals. This area is
reserved for those who read health and medical-related courses at certificate
course and diploma levels (Federal Government of Nigeria, 2017).
(c) Under the N-Power Agro, beneficiaries act as agricultural extension
workers that provide advisory services to farmers across the country. They are
expected to disseminate the knowledge that has been amassed by the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in extension services. They are
also required to gather data on Nigeria's agriculture assets. This area is meant
for youth who were educated in agriculture-related courses (Federal
Government of Nigeria, 2017).
(d) The N-Power VAIDS volunteers are expected to function as community tax
liaison officers and have the following key responsibilities which included tax
promotion, document review, record keeping, answering online inquiries,
customer management, report writing, amongst others. This key area engaged
youth with post-tertiary qualification in computer and information science-
related courses (Federal Government of Nigeria, 2017).
Under the non-graduate category, the N-power Knowledge volunteers acquire
23
FUDMA Economic and Development Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2020
skills through trainings in various aspect after which they are certified. This
will enable them to be relevant in the knowledge-based economy, and they can
compete favourably in both domestic and global environment. Also, N-power
build volunteers are taken through rigorous vocational training in areas such as
Carpentry, Automobile, Masonry, Welding, Fabrication, Painting and
Plumbing. The non-graduate category was designed to run for only twelve
months, and during this period they are paid a monthly stipend of N10,000.
Beneficiaries will be provided with tool kits as an exit package (Federal
Government of Nigeria, 2017).
Monthly, the federal government spends N15 billion on the payment of
allowances of the volunteers. “For the batch one, they started earning from
December 2016, the government invested N72bn annually just for batch one,
aside from the gadget that was distributed to volunteers. Just even the direct
investment in our people, N30,000 by 200,000, that's N6bn every month.
“Since August 2018 the wage bill moved from N6bn monthly to N15bn
because the number has increased to 486,795 volunteers (Daily Trust, 2019).
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Governments across the world are
increasingly realizing that poverty is a major obstacle to human and economic
development. It was therefore not a surprise when world leaders meet at United
Nation Headquarters in New York in September 2015 to launch the seventeen
global Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) also known as Agenda 2030,
with poverty reduction emerging as a central focus (Asadullah & Savoia 2018).
Nigeria Africa's biggest country by population estimated at over 203 million
was among the countries that adopted the SDGs.
The United Nations was right in acknowledging that eradicating
poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, remains a
topmost fundamental and possibly the most important global challenge that
needs to be addressed if we are to attain sustainable development (UNDP,
2015). The first SDG captures the urgency of this issue better: "End poverty in
all its forms everywhere" (United Nations 2015: 13-14). By 2030, the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seek to end poverty in all its forms
everywhere, currently defined as people living below $1.25 a day (United
Nations, 2015).
2.2 Empirical Literature
Mohamed et al. (2015) examined poverty alleviation strategies and New
Economic Model (NEM) in Malaysia. They combined descriptive and analytical
24
 Ijoko, Balami & Alkali
methods by interviewing selected high-level officials directly involved in
carrying out a poverty eradication programme as well as secondary data. They
evaluate Malaysia's government efforts at alleviating poverty in the last 50
years. Focusing on the lower 40% income households who have experienced a
relatively flat income growth rate compared to those in the top 20% and middle
40% households who have enjoyed steep income growth rates in the last
30years. The NEM is the roadmap to double Malaysia's current per capita
income by USD7,000 to USD15,000 17000 by 2010 and thereby, qualify as a
high-income country in line with its vision 2020. They found that much of
Malaysia's success in poverty reduction can largely be attributed to its macro
and micro-management of poverty eradication.
Similarly, Afandi (2011) investigated the characteristics of poverty in
Padang Pariaman District, discovered that households with a family size of
more than four people, floor total area of less than 8 m2 per capita, age of family
head less than 35 years, utilizing the facility of business credit, and family
heads working in the sectors other than agriculture and industry have the
probability of being poor. Accordingly, Djamaluddin (2017) studied
household's poverty influencing factors in West Java, using a logistic
regression model. The findings from the study indicate that control of a total
number of household members and asset ownership are the major significant
poverty alleviating factors in West Java.
Shahzad et al. (2016) investigated youth empowerment and sustainable
development: evidence from Pakistan's Prime Minister Youth Programme
(PMYP). Using data collected randomly from selected respondents of higher
education institutions via the internet together with administering of a well-
structured questionnaire and data from multiple secondary sources, their study
suggests that PMYP has significantly affected the youth. Meaning there is a
strong significant positive relationship between youth empowerment and
sustainable development in Pakistan. On the whole, respondents said they are
satisfied with the Prime Ministers Youth Programme as it is a genuine effort
towards youth empowerment for sustainable development in Pakistan.
Similarly, Ucha (2010) examined the dimensions and contributing
factors of poverty in Nigeria. Employing descriptive statistics, the study
revealed that unemployment, corruption, non-diversification of the economy,
income inequality, laziness, and the poor nature of the education system are the
contributing factors of poverty in Nigeria. Equally, in the study of Apata et al.
25
FUDMA Economic and Development Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2020
(2010) on the determinants of rural poverty, with evidence from small-scale
farmers in South-western, Nigeria, and employing logistic regression model,
the study revealed that, access to micro-credit, education, participation in
agricultural workshops/seminars, livestock asset, and access to extension
services significantly influence the probability of households' exiting chronic
poverty, while the probability of female-headed households and distance to the
market increases the probability of persistence in chronic poverty.
In investigating the determinants of child poverty in rural Nigeria,
Adeoti and Popoola (2012) employed logistic regression model, and the result
obtained revealed that parent's higher education, employment of household
head in the service sector, male-headed households, 'rich' households and
presence of a health facility are factors responsible for the reduction of child
poverty in rural areas, while large household size, households engaged in
agriculture and the probability of children living in the south-south zone
increase the probability of child poverty.
Mok, Gan and Sanyal (2007) investigated the factors of urban poverty
in Malaysia using descriptive statistics, discovered that human capital, size of
household, ethnic group and religion significantly lowers the probability of
poverty while migrant labourers are more vulnerable to poverty in Malaysia.
Similarly, Hayati (2012) reveals that the geographical location and addition of
the number of household members contributes to the high rate of poverty in
households in municipalities and districts in Banten Province.
2.3 Overview of the Contribution of N-power Programme to Poverty
Reduction in Nigeria
Few studies have investigated the contribution of N-Power programme
to youth empowerment in Nigeria. A study by Abin (2018) examined the
impact of N-Power Programme on socio-economic lives of beneficiaries in
Akwanga Metropolis of Nasarawa state. The study showed that the programme
improved the socio-economic lives of the beneficiaries by contributing
immensely to their financial, material, social well-being. The study also
indicated overwhelming satisfaction with the programme by the beneficiaries.
To corroborate this, the study Odey and Sambe (2019) indicates that N-Power
has contributed to the empowerment of youth in the study area including
poverty reduction, proficiency in ICT, financial independence, working
experience and in setting up small scale businesses.
26
 Ijoko, Balami & Alkali
Adeyanju (2019) investigated young graduates' perception of the N-
Power programme and poverty alleviation in Nigeria. The study adopted a
descriptive survey design. The populations for this study comprised of 150,000
selected graduates employed in 2016 from which the 36 states including the
Federal Capital territory were stratified into four zones, while random
sampling technique was adopted to select 1000 research participants.
Questionnaire and interview were the major instruments used for data
collection. Percentage and Mean were used in analyzing the data. The result of
the study suggests a significant reduction in graduate's poverty level. It further
shows that N-power has positively impacted on the male and female
beneficiaries. The study recommends an increase in the amount of stipends
paid to beneficiaries and granting of loan facilities to them to enable them to
venture into businesses aside the N-power work. It further recommends the
effective monitoring of volunteers while on duty to get the best out of them.
Abada et al. (2019) investigated social intervention scheme and
poverty alleviation among Nigerian youths. They employ a quantitative
method to generate data for their analysis. The outcome of their study shows
that the Social Intervention Programme of the federal government has
significantly alleviated poverty among youths. They recommend the need for
the executive to strengthen their capacity and institution for better service
delivery. BisonG (2019) examined the impact of the N-power scheme in
employment generation, economic wellbeing of beneficiaries and job skills
enhancement of beneficiaries in the Cross River south senatorial district.
Adopting a survey design, the results of the study indicated that there is a
positive significant relationship between the N-power scheme and the
following variables, economic wellbeing, job skill enhancement and
employment generation. Based on the findings of the study, it was
recommended that the Government should introduce mandatory training and
workshops in areas such as ICT and agriculture for volunteers to increase their
employability after the expiration of the scheme. It was also recommended that
the Government should provide interest-free loans to interested volunteers to
start up their small or medium scale enterprises which can be conveniently
deducted from their monthly stipends.
From the reviewed literature, therefore, it can be deduced that poverty
rd
in Nigeria has the same dimension as that of the 3 world countries like
Pakistan and Malaysia because they share the same characteristics. Suffice it to
say that, the N-power programme of the President Muhammadu Buhari's led
administration is on track to achieving sustainable development when
27
FUDMA Economic and Development Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2020
compared with the New Economic Model (NEM) in Malaysia and Pakistan's
Prime Minister Youth Programme (PMYP) as such it is capable of contributing
positively to poverty reduction in Nigeria.
2.4 Theoretical Framework
There are different theoretical frameworks which can be adopted in
discussing poverty, but this study uses the Keynesians theory as the
underpinning theory. The concept of Keynesian theory of poverty provides the
framework that explains how poverty is caused by underdevelopment of an
economy, and how policy actions of the government that will cause growth in
the economy can aid in alleviating poverty and ultimately result in the
sustainable development of an economy. In concept, the Liberal theory
revolves around the notion that the multiple facets of broad underdevelopment
is responsible for poverty in an economy, while growth in the economy as
suggested by the Keynesians can promote economic development and thus
relieve poverty.
The concept of Liberal theory revolves around the idea that apart from
market distortions, broad underdevelopment, in its multiple facets, causes
poverty. Meanwhile, Keynesians suggest that growth can promote economic
development and thus relieve poverty, thereby further justifying government
intervention at the macroeconomic level (via fiscal and monetary policy),
mainly to tackle involuntary unemployment (Davis & Sanchez-Martinez,
2014).Under this approach, Sachs (2005) emphasized the role of low levels of
capital instead of income in perpetuating poverty, particularly in a developing
country context. People in poverty lack capital needed to 'get a foot on the
ladder of development'. They lack human capital (health, skills and education);
business capital (machinery and buildings); infrastructure (transport, power
and sanitation); natural capital (viable land); institutional capital (rule of law
and security) and knowledge capital (technical know-how needed to raise
productivity).
In this regard, poverty in a given country might be heavily affected by
the presence of a very weak institutional environment including corruption, for
example, which adversely influences the functioning of markets. In another
context, the most crucial factor may be geographical isolation, which may
impede the import of basic goods and services needed for individuals to attain a
certain level of wellbeing. The most prominent pioneer of liberal economics,
Keynes (1936) cited in Jhingan (2003) believed that government intervention
can lead to economic development, which was in turn perceived to be the single
28
 Ijoko, Balami & Alkali
most important tool against poverty. In this regard, economic growth is
ultimately regarded as the most effective factor in ending poverty.
Given Nigeria's long history of poverty, this theoretical model
appropriately provides an analytical framework for the study of poverty in a
diverse setting with clustering cases at the individual, household, and the
community or regional levels which requires government intervention as
advocated by Keynes theory. Figure 1.0 explains the conceptual framework at
various level- Government interventions through N-Power and Poverty
Reduction leading to Sustainable Development.
Figure 1: The Model
N-p SD
PR
FUDMA Economic and Development Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2020
with Keynes theory, this is capable of reducing the level of poverty in every
state in Nigeria and it can also lead to sustainable development.
Unlike the poverty reduction programmes of the previous
governments, N-power was found to be more effective in poverty reduction in
that it has targeted the youths between the ages of 18 and 35years. This is
particularly important because over 41% of Nigeria's population is made up of
youths. And to fully harness the dividend of population, it is only necessary for
the government to keep investing on the youths.
Though, the distribution per state is uneven with Gombe State having
the lowest 2.1% and Benue State having the highest 4% while states like Kano
and Lagos with the highest population of people in Nigeria ended up with 3.7%
each. This might be connected to the level of awareness and computer literacy
of the beneficiaries. The advert of the application was done using various social
media and the application process was also done through the online application
portal of the N-power without contact with the employers, therefore it is only
possible for those with computer gadgets that are connected to the internet to
apply and be selected.

Table 1: Distribution of N-Power Beneficiaries Per State in Nigeria

Note: NP = N-power; PR = Poverty Reduction; SD = Sustainable
Development State Breakdown Percentage
Source: Developed by the Authors 1 Abia state 11,285 2.3
2 FCT State 14,116 3
3. METHODOLOGY 3 Adamawa State 11,620 2.4
This study is a review of extant literature from empirical studies of the 4 Akwa-Ibom State 12,278 2.5
impact of N-power programme in Nigeria and some selected third world 5 Anambra State 14,903 3.1
countries where similar policies were formulated and implemented. Relevant 6 Bauchi State 13,075 2.7
economic/development theory was examined and served as the underpinning 7 Bayelsa State 10,561 2.2
theory to explain the theoretical significance of such government policies. The 8 Benue State 18,000 4
inference drawn by the study is substantially based on the findings of these 9 Borno State 12,766 2.6
studies and support drawn from the theory of John Maynard Keynes. 10 Cross River State 11,012 2.3
11 Delta State 17,810 3.7
12 Ebonyi State 10,561 2.2
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 13 Edo State 12,340 2.5
As can be seen in table 1, the 36 states of the federation including FCT
14 Ekiti State 10,563 2.2
has its share of N-power engagement, meaning that there is a circulation of
funds from the federal government to the youths in all the states in form of 15 Enugu State 16,542 3.4
monthly stipend while they also acquire work experience using ICT. Aligning 16 Gombe State 10,000 2.1
17 Imo State 12,394 2.5
29 30
 Ijoko, Balami & Alkali FUDMA Economic and Development Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 2020
18 Jigawa State 11,365 2.3 Government areas in Nigeria which has lifted them above the poverty line as
19 Kaduna State 18,000 3.7 defined by the United Nation in 2015a which measured poverty as people
20 Kano State 18,002 3.7 living on less than $1.25 a day. It is believed if N-power programme together
with the other components of SIP is sustained, not only would it reduce the
21 Katsina State 13,313 2.7
22 kebbi State 10,559 2.2 poverty level in Nigeria it can also lead to sustainable development in Nigeria.
This means that Nigeria is on track to achieving the Goal '1' of the SDG of total
23 Kogi State 12,211 2.5
eradication of poverty. Volunteers have also acquired working experience
24 Kwara State 13,154 2.7
using ICT which is germane to today's working environment.
25 Lagos State 17,998 3.7
26 Nassarawa State 12,504 2.6 From the findings of the study, the following are recommended;
27 Niger State 12,776 2.6 (i) Government should ensure synergy between N-Power and the other
28 OgunState 15,563 3.2 components of NSIP, this will further help to reduce the poverty level in
29 Ondo State 13,460 2.8 various states of the federation.
30 Osun State 17,999 3.7 (ii) Government should ensure equitable distribution of volunteers per
31 Oyo State 18,001 3.7 state in future engagements bearing in mind that some states have more
32 plateau State 11,700 2.4 population of people than the others.
33 Rivers State 17,987 3.7
34 Sokoto State 10,903 2.2 (iii) The advert for subsequent engagement should not be limited to social
media alone; it should cut across all media houses including radio and
35 Taraba State 10,914 2.2
print media. This will ensure adequate information passage across all
36 Zamfara State 10,560 2.2
level.
Total 486,795 100
(iv) To sustain the gain of the N-power programme, there is a need for the
Source: Daily Trust (2019) federal government to create an enabling environment through its
various policies so that the beneficiaries can put the experience gained
into use. For example, N-Agro components can go into farming to
support the government in achieving the food security policy. The N-
4. CONCLUSIONS teach can also operate private schools in their various communities,
This study reviews the contribution of N-power programme to poverty while the N-health can equally operate some healthcare services. All
reduction and achievement of sustainable development goal in Nigeria. N- these can only be actualized if the government can provide microcredit
power is one of the components of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) of to the beneficiaries in the form of exit package upon expiration of their
the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration. The study found that N- tenure in the programme which they will use to set up their businesses.
power has contributed to poverty reduction in Nigeria. It has a good At the end, if these businesses are run successfully, they can create jobs
geographical spread devoid of political influence as most of the volunteers got for other youths thereby lifting the burden of unemployment from the
their engagement without knowing anyone at the top. The application was done government.
using ICT without having contact with the employers. The scheme has
successfully engaged 486,795 youths between the ages of 18 and 35years in a
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