THE IMPACT OF YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT ON ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN BAYELSA STATE

THE IMPACT OF YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT ON ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN BAYELSA STATE (CASE STUDY OF SOUTHERN IJAW LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)

ABSTRACT:

The study examines the nexus of unemployment and violent crimes using political violence as a point of reference in Southern Ijaw Local Government, specifically the objective was to identify the factors responsible for unemployment, factors responsible for political violence, and the cause of youth involvement in political violence and the effects in Southern Ijaw Local Government area of Bayelsa State. Theoretically the study adopted the Conflict theory of crime as its major thrust of the study. A descriptive research design was used in the study. The methodology includes selection and analysis of 220 administered questionnaires to selected study samples. Interview was held with 10 politicians (party leaders and public office holders). Findings from the study reveal (amongst others) that unemployment level is very high in Southern Ijaw Local Government, Furthermore the study identified wide spread violence, increase in social vices, increase in number of dependents, increase in poverty amongst others as the major effects of unemployment. Further to these findings, this study concludes that there is a link between unemployment and political violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa State. It however recommends (among others) that government at all levels should put in place and sustain programmes and policies geared towards reduction of poverty and unemployment level via massive youth employment and women empowerment agendas such that both problems can be reduced if not completely removed from our society.

Keywords: Unemployment, Political Violence and Nigeria, Southern Ijaw Local Government area

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 

• Background of the study

Today, unemployment and poverty constitute major challenges facing mankind across known boundaries including the most developed societies like Western Europe and America. However, it remains much more endemic among the Third World countries and particularly Africa with the worst case in Nigeria. According to the United Nations publications (Borode, 2011: 149), over one billion people in the world today live in unacceptable conditions of poverty, mostly in developing countries, particularly in rural areas of low income countries. The most tragic is the fact that youths within the age bracket of 14 to 50 year old are the worst hit (Ajaegbu, 2012). This makes it more dangerous because this vulnerable group is susceptible to committing and/or perpetrating all sorts of crimes like terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, assassination, thuggery, prostitution, drug and human trafficking and so on. Also, most violent protests, demonstrations and revolutions and several mob actions leading to outbreak of wanton destruction of lives and properties, lawlessness in many societies as we are witnessing in Nigeria. Again most prevailing political violent conflicts involving youths in Africa and indeed Nigeria are intricately linked to unemployment and poverty. In this regard Ikejiaku (2009) described the absolute poverty in Africa with what he called ‘poverty qua poverty’, the term used in describing the real poverty in Africa where majority of people find life excruciatingly agonizing largely due to difficulty in meeting or satisfying their basic needs like food, clothing, shelter and qualitative education. Similarly Ajufo (2013:32) contended that “unemployment has become a major problem bedeviling the lives of Nigerian youths, causing increased militancy, violent crimes, kidnappings, restiveness and socially delinquent behaviour. Youth unemployment is devastating to both the individual and the society as a whole psychologically socially, politically and economically”. Accordingly, it is apposite to argue that a society bedeviled with the problem of endemic rate of unemployment and poverty especially among its productive segment of the population as it is currently the case in Nigeria, will have its peace and stability endangered with dire consequence of retrogression instead of progress. As noted by World Bank Development Report of 1984 in Washington on Africa, (Onimode, 1988:15), the paradox of the deepening crisis of mass poverty in Africa and the enormous wealth of the continent is very painful. Despite the above one cannot really conclude that the government at one level or the other has not done anything at one time or the other, to reduce unemployment in Nigeria. For instance, the creation of National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and its skills acquisition programmes, NAPEP, PAP, the SURE-P,YOUWIN, just to mention a few, are some of the various intervention mechanisms aimed at ensuring economic growth that is rich with job creation opportunities. Besides, the Federal Government over the years has been claiming strong real GDP growth rate measuring at 6% or 6.5% since 2005 till date (Aganga, 2010 and Ogunmade, 2013:44). This is apparently a paradox. A situation whereby, there is a decade of strong real GDP of 6.5% economic growth, and in the same period, unemployment rate continue to rise annually from 11.9% in 2005 to 19.7% in 2009, and over 37% in 2013% (Aganga, 2010 and Ogunmade, 2013:67). The apparent economic growth has not lead to economic development. The rate of poverty is still very high, the industries are still in shambles, technological development is till at rudimental stage, income inequality is high, immortal mortality rate and child mortality rate is high, and in fact, Nigeria development index is still very low. The consequences of unemployment and poverty are many and notable among the effects of is political violence. That is why Nigeria has been experiencing many security challenges in forms of criminal activities, violence and conflicts over the years (Mukhtar, Isyaku, & Sani, 2016:19). The formation of youth violent groups like the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and the Niger Delta Avengers in the south-south, Bakassi Boys, in the south-east, Yandaba in the north-west, Yan-kalare and Yan-sara-suka in north-east, as well as the most notorious terrorist group, known as Boko Haram, also in the north-east (Mukhtar, et al. 2016) are all but manifestations of high rate of unemployment among teeming youths and poverty incidences in the country. While the major cause for the formation of the above violent groups in various parts of Nigeria is either poverty or unemployment among the youth population, these violent groups have many serious implications on the fate of the democratic governance in the country. Violence has taken a severe toll on Nigerian economy, its peoples’ political, social, and even spiritual lives. Crime and violence are so palpable, so pervasive and so devastating to many Nigerians (Diyoke, 2013). It is even more disturbing to find that, the country’s political leaders are using joblessness and poor living conditions of the youths to employ them as political thugs. This manner in which members of our political class in Nigeria engage the services of jobless youths as thugs for the purpose of intimidating political opponents and their supporters during elections is growing. These youths, who are mainly uneducated or semi-literate, are often encouraged to unleash violence, cause electoral violence, break the law at will, in which virtually nothing can be done to stop them once they have made up their mind to unleash these havocs on their intended targets. Violence has become so common in the Nigerian society; at domestic, community and national levels and it has the tendency for causing national instability. For example, when there is insecurity in a nation, such as those emanating from the Boko Haram and the Niger-Delta Avengers, the prospect of democratization is threatened, as the leaders will shift attention from welfare services and dispensation of democratic dividend to resolving the violence emanating from the activities of these groups, even if it will affect the wellbeing of the citizens. Hence, the ban of okada rides, curfews, and too much check points are authority’s reaction to the. In addition, election processes have been suspended in places like Gombe State and political administrations in Yobe State, Borno State, and Adamawa State, have suffered setback in the towards the end of the year 2015. Again Diyoke, (2016:61) observed that Politics in Nigeria for the past decades have been characterized by widespread politically orchestrated violence especially during election times and youth militias have been seen as the major perpetrators of political violence. Demographically, youth constitute majority of the population in Nigeria. Majority of these youths in urban areas are failing to secure employment. About 80 % of them are unemployed (Diyoke, 2016). It is thus because of these problems that we are motivated to search in more directions for empirical evidence that could help to explain the level unemployment on political in Nigeria especially Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

1.1 Statement of the problem

In Nigeria, democracy has been restored for over a decades ago, which so much hopes and expectations by the people. For instance, it is assumed that with democracy, people would be free to choose their leaders and representatives and hold them accountable for the overall objective of fast tracking development and improving the general living conditions of the masses. This expectation is not misplaced considering that Nigeria has abundant human and natural resources. However, the reality on ground has shown that this expectation is yet to be realized. Hence, the growing sense of despondency among the masses. In other countries in North African like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya where dictators have held sway for over three decades, people have revolted against the system. Though these countries can say to be less democratic than Nigeria, yet the living condition of the people in real economic terms is better (Abati, 2011a; Abati, 2011b; Adejumobi, 2011) Furthermore, the unemployment rates in these countries are more or less like that of Nigeria (Ojenagbo, 2011). The major concern here therefore is, given the kind of violent agitations that pervaded the above mentioned countries with relatively better living conditions than Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (Volume 13, No.1, 2011) ISSN: 1520-5509 Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Clarion, Pennsylvania 359 Nigeria, what is the guaranteed that large army of unemployed youths will not engage in activities that would undermine the stability of democracy in Nigeria? The problem of chronic youth unemployment is very evident in Nigeria. Every year thousands of graduates are turn out for whom there are no jobs. Nigerian streets are littered with youth hawkers who ordinarily would have found gainful employment in some enterprise. The self employed are in quandary as scant infrastructure makes it impossible for them to ply their trade. The large number of youths who are unemployment is capable of undermining democratic practice as they constitute a serious threat if engaged by the political class for clandestine activities (Adepegba, 2011; Ibrahim, 2011; Lartey, 2011; Olatunji & Abioye, 2011). Although youth unemployment is often considered as a social problem, but it is also an industrial sociology issue especially as it relates to the supply of, and the demand for labor. Therefore, industrial sociology is not only concerned with what goes on in an industrial setting, but also how the external socio-economic and political environment shape and reshape behavior and conduct of workers both within and outside their places of work on one hand, and on the other, how industries evaluate and react to external environment as either to continue to operate in such an environment or to relocate to a more favorable one. For instance, no matter the relative economic benefits or gains workers may be enjoying or are making in their places of work, if the labor market is saturated thus giving rise to youth unemployment, this will make socio-economic and political environment hostile, unstable, insecure, unsafe and rancorous, and such benefits or gains enjoyed by the workers will be eroded. Thus this research seek to examining the impact of youth unemployment on electoral violence in Bayelsa State.

 

1.2 Purpose of the study

The broad aim of this study was to examine the level of unemployment on political violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State Nigeria. Other specific objectives of the study include:

1. To identify the factors responsible for unemployment in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State
2. To identify the factors responsible for political violence in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State
3. To identify the cause of youth involvement in political violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State
4. To examine the effects of political violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State 5. To find out the link between unemployment and political violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State 6. To identify the strategies adopted to curb political violence in southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

1.3 Significance of the study

This study will provide an insight into t the impact of youth unemployment on electoral violence in Bayelsa State. This study will help the administrators to ascertain the level of damages unemployment has caused. Furthermore, the study will again be helpful for researchers, youth, youth organization, students and lecturers. Government official, policy makers and youth administrators will benefit from the recommendation of the study.

 

1.4 Research questions

1. What are the factors responsible for youth unemployment in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State?
2. What are the factors responsible for political violence in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State?
3. What is the cause of youth involvement in political violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State?
4. what is the effects of political violence in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State?

1.5 Scope of the study

This study only involves communities in Bayelsa state with particular focus on communities in Southen ijaw LGA.

THE IMPACT OF YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT ON ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN BAYELSA STATE (CASE STUDY OF SOUTHERN IJAW LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)

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