Youths’ Participation in Community Development Project in Ibadan Oyo State

Abstract

The lack of attention given to youth participation in community development projects has hindered the progress of development in many communities. Despite their valuable contributions, which include physical strength, mental capabilities, and exposure, the efforts of young people are often disregarded, and their voices go unheard. The objective of this research was to evaluate the level of participation of youths in community development projects in Ibadan, Oyo State research study employed a descriptive survey research design to gather information on the participation of youth organizations in community development projects/programmes in Ibadan, Oyo State. The population of this study comprised all the estimated sample for this study is 320. A multi-stage sampling procedure was utilized to determine the sample size. In the first stage, two local governments, namely Ibadan North and Akinyele, were purposively selected within the Ibadan metropolis. In the second stage, four communities were randomly chosen from each of the selected local government areas: Agbowo, Bodija, Yematu, and Mokola from Ibadan North, and Moniya, Ojoo, Orogun, and Idi-Ose from Akinyele and 40 respondents were selected from each of the selected communities on whom were administered a self-structured questionnaire, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings indicated a moderately high level of participation of youths in community development projects in Ibadan. Based on these findings, it is recommended that community leaders recognize and strengthen the involvement of youths. This would encourage greater sense of belonginess in and sustainability of community development projects and overall community progress.