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IMPACT OF FUNCTIONAL LITERACY PROGRAMMES ON POVERTY REDUCTION AMONG RURAL DWELLERS IN BAUCHI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BAUCHI STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Education is an absolute human right that should be given to all human beings. In every nation, education should be accessible for every single citizen regardless of their status or social classes. And it is the core responsibility of governments to ensure this access. Education is linked and related to nation development. According to EFC (2002), “education is a key index of development. It has been documented that schooling improves productivity, health and reduces negative features of life such as child labour as well as bringing about empowerment” (Otive, 2006, p.1). In Nigeria, the accessibility of education is at stake. We get to see more and more people getting access to poverty rather than education. The Nigerian government has launched various Poverty Alleviation Programmes starting from 80s and every new government seems to have their own Poverty Eradication or Alleviation Programmes. Eventually, all these programmes become an avenue for corruption and paving ways for embezzlement. For education to take place in Nigeria, poverty must be seriously addressed. Education has the capability of reducing poverty because once the majority of the people in the country are educated, they are likely to get jobs, earn living and the ability to provide the basic needs for their families. This is the strength and uniqueness of education in producing an excellent Human Capital for nation development and economy.

The Nigerian State had been hit by the twin problems of poverty and under-development. This may be attributed to a number of factors, some of which are mismanagement of human and material resources, indiscipline, lack of political will by the government of the country beginning from the post-independence and present-day Nigeria. Rather than tackle development and poverty alleviation in the society policy makers or politicians appeared to have converted leadership positions and public offices into avenues to squander money, embezzlement, corruption, money laundering abroad, to the neglect of the suffering masses and development. As a result of these underdevelopment and poverty in the land, the country has woken up to witness anti-social activities and vices like armed robbery, cultism, drug trafficking, prostitution, child labour and trafficking, ritual killings, political thuggery and assassinations, etc. This phenomenon has left the country highly underdeveloped socially, economically and technologically. This has created a situation of mass unemployment and other social vices articulated from the foregoing. Highly skilled trained manpower and infrastructure facilities are either under-utilized or non-existent. The worsening economic condition prompted the introduction of economic stabilization act of April 1982 with minimal involvement of non-governmental institution. The various government programmes aimed at eradicating or alleviating poverty have not stood the test of time, as they have not actually impacted positively on the people. When the former president, General Sanni Abacha took power from chief Earnest Shonekan in 1993, he introduced other poverty alleviating measures like Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP). However, upon coming to power in the new democratic order in 1999, the Obasanjo administration in an effort to alleviate the suffering and poverty in the land, introduced the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP). However well intentioned, these programmes were hijacked by the politicians as the philosophy behind the setting up of these programmes were politicized, thereby undermining the objective of setting up these programmes. For instance, beneficiaries of these programmes are usually party faithful, loyalists and family members.

The issue of poverty is a global phenomenon, which affects continents, nations and people differently. There is no nation that is absolutely free from poverty. The main difference is the intensity and prevalence i.e the highest level of social insecurity, violence, social unrest and generally unacceptable low standard of living. Thus, poverty is a condition in which a person is deprived of, or lacks the essentials for minimum standard of living. Poverty has been defined as the inability to attain a minimum standard of living (World Bank Report, 1990). Nigeria with a population estimated at about 168 million, having the 8th largest deposit of natural gas in the World is also not left out of this phenomenon given its name as the giant of Africa. Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources. There are also abundant solid mineral deposits that remained largely untapped. Nigeria has been noted to be poor inspite of the fact that it has put in place a lot of plans and programs to resolve this cankerworm right for her independence, the number of those in poverty increased from 27% in 1980 to 46% in 1985, it declined slightly to 42% in 1992 and increased sharply to 69% in 1996. This is so pathetic in the sense that a very good proportion of the populace lives below absolute poverty line i.e those living on an income of less than $1 a day (Ogwumike, 2001) Despite the above statement, Nwaobi (2003) asserts that Nigeria presents a paradox. The country is rich but the people are poor. Given this condition, Nigeria should rank among the richest countries that should not suffer poverty entrapment. However, the monumental increase in the level of poverty has made the socio-economic landscape frail and fragile. However, the above scenario has not come into being as a result of nonchalant attitude and non-recognition of the problem at hand. It has also not come by as a result of lack of response to the yearning of the poor people to be emancipated from their rather deplorable and frustrating state of near despair. As an emerging economy, government lacked capacity and resources to deal with the problems of development and international relations, their political leaders became overwhelmed by the severity of hunger, disease, illiteracy, and poverty afflicting the citizens of the country. To worsen matters most of these political leaders soon separated themselves from the sufferings of the people, engaged themselves in self aggrandizements and became insensitive to the yearnings of their people for basic economic and social amenities instead, they frittered away their nations’ wealth in self enrichment and engaged in worthless development programmes. Beside, the new world order that place emphasis on good governance, economic prosperity and social justice.

Poverty is a global phenomenon, which affects continents, nations and peoples differently. It afflicts people in various depths and levels, at different times and phases of existence. There is no nation that is absolutely free from poverty. The main difference is the intensity and prevalence of this malaise. Nations in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America are currently with the highest level of poverty and consequently with the lowest level of socio-economic development. They also have the highest level of social insecurity, violence, unrest and generally unacceptable low standard of living. The Central Bank of Nigeria (1999:1) views poverty as “a state where an individual is not able to cater adequately for his or her basic needs of food, clothing and shelter; is unable to meet social and economic obligations, lacks gainful employment, skills, assets and self-esteem; and has limited access to social and economic infrastructure such as education, health, portable water, and sanitation; and consequently, has limited chance of advancing his or her welfare to the limit of his or her capabilities”. The World Bank (2000:1) utilized inductive approach to uncover various dimensions of poverty such as well-being, psychological, basic infrastructure, illness and assets. One of such definitions is “the lack of what is necessary for material well-being-especially food, but also housing, land, and other assets. In other words, poverty is the lack of multiple resources that leads to hunger and physical deprivation.” Another of such definitions is “lack of voice, power, and independence that subjects them to exploitation. Their poverty leaves them vulnerable to rudeness, humiliation, and inhumane treatment by both private and public agents of the State from whom they seek help”. Nigeria, ranked among the 25 poorest countries in the world, started its independent nationhood with poverty level of barely 15% of its population in 1960 and is today struggling to bring it down from about 70% of its current teeming population of about 120 million. Of the number of the poverty stricken people, about 73% is concentrated in the rural areas where illiteracy prevalence is high, potable water and health facilities are rarely available, road and electricity infrastructures are either unavailable or ill-managed. The World Bank and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s 2002 Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.461 aptly indicate the deplorable state of the nation’s level of poverty and low human development. This is in spite of the fact that the country is richly endowed with all kinds of water, agricultural and mineral resources. Nigeria’s proportion of the poor has doubled over the last two decades, during which time the country received over $300 billion in oil and gas revenue. Paradoxically, Nigeria’s level of revenue and endowment are in opposite direction with her poverty level. While revenue profile of Nigeria rose from N4 billion in 1975 to N26 billion in 1980, and GNP per capita rose from $360 to more than $1000 in the same period, the percentage of the population that was poor grew from 15% in 1960 to about its present 70%. Furthermore, according to World Bank and UNDP 2001 statistics, Nigeria which impressively ranked 6th and 7th in Petroleum Export and Petroleum Production respectively, is ranked 194th in GNP per capita and is unenviably classified as the 25th poorest nation in the world.

However, the above scenario has not come into being as a result of nonchallant attitude and non-recognition of the problem at hand. It has also not come by as a result of lack of response to the yearning of the poor people to be emancipated from their rather deplorable and frustrating state of neardespair. No Nigerian Government, be it military or civilian, has come without introducing and leaving behind one form of poverty alleviation or reduction programme meant to reduce the level of poverty, give hope and succour to the poor and, or move towards some sort of wealth creation. Strategies, policies and plans have been articulated; programmes and projects have been formulated and executed over the years. For instance, at independence in 1960, poverty eradication efforts in Nigeria centred on education, while Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), the Green Revolution, War Against Indiscipline (WAI), Peoples Bank of Nigeria (PBN), Community Banks, Directorate of Food Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFFRI), Nigerian Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP), Better Life for Rural Women, Family Support Programme (FSP) and National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) existed during the period under review. Though successive governments have tried to address the issue of poverty as captured above, the effect of the strategies and programmes has been that of mixed feelings.

Originally, functional literacy was conceived as a level of literacy which would enable the non-literate to function effectively in his or her society. The concept however, was changed in 1965 by the World Conference of Education Ministers held in Tehran and the experimental word functional literacy programme promulgated later by UNESCO. Functional literacy is referred as ‘work-oriented or as relevant literacy’ which is comprehensive enough to teach economic skills and offer immediate use of the recipients in participating in important political and personal matters. According to the UNESCO, Egonu (2000) stated that: 1. literacy programmes should be incorporated into and correlated with economic and social development plans; 2. literacy programmes should be preferably linked with economic priorities and carried out in areas undergoing rapid economic expansion; 3. literacy programmes do not imply only reading and writing, but also professional and technical knowledge, thereby leading to a better participation in economic and civic life; 4. literacy must be an integral part of the overall education plan and educational system of each country, and 5. the literacy of this kind should aid in achieving main economic objectives, that is, the increase in labour, productivity, food production, industrialization, social and professional mobility, creation of new manpower and diversification of the economy. The above view shows that functional literacy is crucial for individual and societal development and calls for different programmes and instructional objectives and strategies within a context of development which should be linked with economic activities. Functional literacy should be part of an-over-all educational plan in order that the recipients; in this case women, may become active members of the society. Functionality of literacy activities is the extent to which it is able to empower, combines awareness creation and active participation so that recipients will understand the subordination and take steps to redress their conditions (Olaleye & Adeyemo, 2012). This may be why Bhola (1993) asserted that without literacy development will only limp on one leg. Only those governments, who provide for the welfare of their citizens amongst others, are likely to enjoy international co-operation with the world industrialized nations. No doubt this is the major impetus for political leaders to be more concerned with the total welfare of their people, especially in the area of poverty alleviation. However, it is worth stating that no Nigerian Government, be it military or civilian, has come without introducing and leaving behind one form of poverty alleviation programme or another meant to reduce the level of poverty, give hope and succour to the poor and, or move towards some sort of wealth creation. Strategies, policies and plans have been articulated; programmes and projects have been formulated and executed over the years. Therefore, this project work intends to examine the impact of functional literacy programmes on poverty reduction among rural dwellers in Bauchi LGA of Bauchi State.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

It has been known in Nigeria that every government embarks on one form of poverty reduction strategy or the other. However, what has remained unanswered is the extent to which these programmes have impacted on the poor especially the rural dwellers. Recent studies on the subject poverty and its reduction agencies as well as programmes indicate that considerable gap exists between the target objective – alleviating or eradicating poverty – and achievement. It seems that the efforts of various governments are ineffective and therefore not much has been done to actualise the benefits. For poverty reduction agencies, their results do not seem to justify the huge financial allocations to them. Poor people especially the rural dwellers perceptions of formal poverty reduction institutions are largely that of ineffectiveness and irrelevance in their lives as government poverty reduction activities contribute little in their struggles to survive and rarely help them to escape poverty. More disturbing is the fact that despite the colossal number of resources committed to those programmes, the poverty situation aggravates, and more and more people fall into the poverty region instead of escaping.

• Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to find out the impact of functional literacy programmes on poverty reduction among rural dwellers in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State. Specifically, this study will;

1. To ascertain the impact of functional literacy programmes on poverty reduction among rural dwellers
2. To determine the extent to which functional literacy programmes generate empowerment for the rural dwellers.
3. To identify the problems affecting functional literacy programmes towards on poverty reduction among rural dwellers

 1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were formulated to guide the study:

1. What are the impact of functional literacy programmes on poverty reduction among rural dwellers?
2. To what extent does functional literacy programmes generate empowerment for the rural dwellers?
3. What are the problems affecting functional literacy programmes towards on poverty reduction among rural dwellers?

1.5 Significance Of The Study

This study will be of great importance because the researcher will examine the challenges associated with the problems of functional literacy programmes towards on poverty reduction among rural dwellers in Bauchi Local Government Area, and it will also provide valuable strategies of curbing these problems. The study is significant in the following ways:

The following are the significance of this study:

The outcome of this study will educate the general public on the problems and prospects of functional literacy programmes in Nigeria.

This research will also serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers interested in carrying out further research in this field subsequently, if applied will go to an extent to provide new explanation to the topic. It will be a great important to government to implement functional literacy at the grass root in Bauchi Local Government Area inclusive. The research work will help in the development of Bauchi Local Government Area and Bauchi state at large, because it helps women to boost socio economic standard that will rise to a higher level. It will be a great help to policy makers to make sure functional literacy is introduce to people at the grass root in Bauchi Local Government Area. The findings of the study will also help the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to set out in search of the ways and means to make adequate provisions for the programme, of functional literacy in Bauchi Local Government Area. This project will be of great help to all rural dwellers in Bauchi Local Government Area because it can help in enhancing socio economic standard in the Area.

1.6 Scope/Delimitation of The Study

This study on the impact of functional literacy programmes on poverty reduction among rural dwellers in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State will cover all the challenges of functional literacy programmes in Nigeria with a view of planning a better future for that subsector of Nigeria education system.

In view of this, the researcher based his findings in some few selected functional literacy centres within the Local Government Area.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

Adult education: Is a process of improving the situation of people by increasing their skills, knowledge and awareness through education.

Problem: Is the obstacle or challenge that hinders one from doing something

Programme: is a plan of things that will be done or included in the development of something

Adult learners: These are people studying adult

Literacy centre: Is a pladult education where learning takes pladult education

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