ABSTRACT

The study investigated youth participation in Community Physical Infrastructural Development Projects in South East, Nigeria. The study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of rural youths, identified the status of selected community physical infrastructural development projects,  examined various developmental projects executed by development agencies, assessed perception of the youths towards these developmental projects, assessed the factors that motivates the youths to participate in these developmental projects, ascertained the levels of participation in different stages and selected  community infrastructural development projects and identified problems limiting youth participation in developmental projects. Multi-stage random sampling technique was employed in the selection of 400 hundred respondents from three randomly selected States out of the five States in the South-East, Nigeria. Data for the study were collected using questionnaires and Focus Group Discussion and analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics (ordinary Least Square regression analysis, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Ducan Multiple Range Test). The socio-economic characteristics results revealed that the majority (73%) of the respondents, were male, while 27% were females, mean ages of 28 years, 36% acquired secondary education, 43% were into farming, 57% were single, had mean monthly income of N65, 000.00 with mean length of residency of 13 years. The results on status of projects showed that facilities such as culverts (54%), market (66%), rural electricity (47%), boreholes (33%), school blocks (75%), health centers (29%), roads (76%), drainages (32%), oil palm mills (100%), pens/battery cages (25%), silos (71%) and bee hives (21%) were completed. The result indicates that 24.7% of the projects were executed by Community-Based Organisations. The youths had positive perception (x =2.8) towards community physical infrastructural development projects, had high motivation (x = 2.8) and participated actively (x =2.9) in stages and in selected infrastructural developmental projects (x =2.0) in the study area. The result showed that age (11.75), education (2.65) and length of residence (13.28) influenced participation of youths in community physical development projects in the study area. The results showed a positive relationship between the motivation, perception and participation of youths in community physical infrastructural development projects at 5.0% level of probability. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient results also showed a significant and positive relationship between perception and factors motivating participation at 5.0% levels of probability. The Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) result showed a significant difference in youth participation in community physical infrastructural projects in Abia, Ebonyi and Anambra States. Non encouragement from government, sentiment in project locations and politicizing the projects were major problems identified by youths in participation in community infrastructural development projects in the study area. The study therefore recommends that incentives should be given to the youths as motivation to participating more projects, be involved in decision making and awareness on the benefit of youth participation in community projects.