YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT REDUCTION IN NIGERIA: EVIDENCE FROM JALINGO METROPOLIS, TARABA STATE

Abstract

Youth unemployment remains one of the most pressing developmental challenges confronting Nigeria, with far-reaching implications for social stability, poverty and national security. This paper investigates youth empowerment as an instrument for unemployment reduction in Jalingo metropolis, Taraba State. Anchored on the Marxist Theory of Unemployment and Rousseau's Social Contract Theory, the study adopted a descriptive survey design. Drawing on a youth population of 302,120 in Jalingo, a sample of 399 respondents was selected using the Taro Yamane formula, and data were generated through a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that the Taraba State Government has, to a high extent, implemented a wide range of youth empowerment programmes particularly in skills acquisition, vocational training, entrepreneurship and agricultural development. However, the study also uncovered critical weaknesses in implementation, notably inadequate funding, uneven distribution of opportunities, weak monitoring and evaluation, and limited awareness among prospective beneficiaries. Overall, the programmes were found to have contributed, to a high extent, to the reduction of joblessness and to socio-economic development in the metropolis. The paper recommends, among others, that government agencies establish a mandatory follow-up and tracking system for beneficiaries for at least twelve months post-training and that funding, transparency and awareness mechanisms be strengthened