ABSTRACT
This study was to ascertain the impact of KEKE NAPEP (a tricycle) in Nigeria to bring about poverty alleviation or eradication using Lagos State as a case study a reality or a mirage; and also, to examine the relationship between KEKE  driving business  and  employment  generation  with  its  attended contribution to income generation. Hypotheses were formulated and tested using relevant data collected using primary and secondary data. We use a questionnaire as an instrument for our Survey research design. A sample size of 1,200, drawn from the study area constituted the population of the study. Chi-square statistical method was used as a statistical tool to test the hypothesis. Our findings from the study revealed that KEKE NAPEP programme in Lagos State actually bring to bear on the level of poverty existing among the unemployed people but do not really eradicate, rather than reducing the level to some manageable platform. The impact of KEKE driving business as a means of poverty reduction among the unemployed populace in Lagos State still lingers. We postulate based on our findings by recommending that the Lagos State government should support the Federal Government KEKE NAPEP programme with the view of creating an enabling environment for Lagos indigenes to benefit from the Federal Government programme. Government by purchasing tricycles in large quantities at subsidised rate and distribute or disburse to KEKE riders and recover the purchase price from them in instalment payments than allowing them to purchase them as hire purchase and pay for them at exorbitant prices like loans from bank leading to penury in some cases as they could not meet up payments which interests were compounded and instead of alleviating their sufferings they were compounded.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background of study
Poverty, as of its multidimensional nature, does not lend itself to easy definition. Poverty is also a relative concept involving the individual perception of his/her social standing in relation to others in a given society. Such idea informs the stand of those economists who believe that poverty cannot be measured. Okoh, (1998).
However, different researchers have tried to define poverty. For instance, Ravallion and Bidani (1994) refer to poverty as a lack of command over basic consumption needs that are a situation of inadequate level of command over basic rise to insufficient food, clothing and shelter. Aluko N.L. (1975), Sen N.L. (1987) defined poverty as a lack of certain capabilities such as being able to participate with dignity in societal endeavors.
Poverty has also been defined as the inability to attain a minimum standard of living. World Development Report (1990).
Definition a poor person A poor person is considered as one without job, who cannot help himself or cater for his family, who has no money, farm or business. Adolescent males and females are poor if they have no parent, no education, no good food, clothes and health. A poor person is described as one who is undernourished and aging fast, one without self confidence, looks dirty and lives in filthy environment, one who cannot cater for his family, train his children in the school and unable to pay medical bill (The World Bank, 1992)
The major category of people vulnerable to poverty are women and children, majority of whom live in the rural areas, or migrate from rural areas with cannot fit into many of the urban jobs. Aina and Odebiyi (1997) attributed urban poverty to high rate of urbanization, accompanied with high rate of migration, population density, high rate of population growth, the unemployment, inflation and bad governance (such that urban centres in Nigeria generally lack basic social infrastructures to meet the needs of the teaming population.
Poverty becomes widespread in Nigeria after the implementation of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in Nigeria. When Babangida seized the government from Buhari, the former agreed to implement the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionality because poverty had become glaring in Nigeria most especially among the rural dwellers leading torural-urban migration. It is in record that Babangida wasted more than 100 billion Naira on phantom projects, D.O. Elumilade, (2006). These projects included the one initiated by his wife, Better Life progammes for the poor, DEFRI, People’s Bank of Nigeria, two democratic transition experiments and other big time corruption in Babangida regime enrichedthemselves D.O. Elumilade, (2006).
Poverty in Nigeria cuts across different strata of the society in all the thirty six states and Abuja the FCT of the country. However, the position of Lagos state as the former capital of Nigeria as well as the commercial nerve centre of the country made the problem to be morepronounced. Lagos poses as an attraction various rural settlements in Nigeria; particularly the youths who see Lagos as a place full of economical opportunities.
