ABSTRACT
This study is a determination of the role of Nigerian youth in national development, using the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, as a case study. The main objectives of the study were to ascertain the extent of youth's role in national development and to determine the extent to which the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, is galvanising youth towards national development. The study also attempted to investigate the factors or challenges that prevent the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, from fulfilling its statutory responsibilities to the youth and society at large, and it proposed solutions to the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, in assisting the youth's role in national development. In this study, five research questions and five hypotheses were posed to guide the study. The related literature to the study was reviewed under two main headings, namely, conceptual framework and theoretical framework. This study used a descriptive survey research design. A total of 33 youths from 33 member youth organisations in the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, were used as the sample size for the research study. In carrying out this research study, the instruments used for data collection were questionnaires (structured and unstructured), face-toface interviews, and non-participant observation. The result of this study revealed, among others, that the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, has affected the lives of youth in Edo State and subsequently promoted national development. However, among the challenges faced by the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, are governmental interferences, poor funding, and partisan politics. The implications of the above findings were examined, and it was recommended that the Edo State government be hands-off in controlling the activities of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, increase its funding (subvention), and non-partisan principles be fully entrenched and implemented. This study is a masterpiece because of its novelty in the areas covered and the lengths to which the researcher went in obtaining relevant information for the study. Hence, this study will be of great relevance to government officials, officials of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, youth, students, and other interested readers.
