NATURAL RESOURCE ENDOWMENT AND YOUTH EDUCATION DYSFUNCTION IN BAYELSA STATE

In: WILBERFORCE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, Volume 3, Issue 1, p. 67-92

Abstract

This paper investigates an uncommon and lackluster attitude towards education among youths of Bayelsa State. The Rentier State Theory (RST) is adopted as its theoretical handle. Primary and secondary sources of information were deployed in the study; with 20 randomly sampled communities of four local government areas of Bayelsa State. The paper makes an interesting insight into a rare connection between natural resource endowment and youth education, even as part of a growing concern on how to take youth away from criminality and violent conflicts in many complex conflict-ridden societies. Nigeria, and in particular, Bayelsa State need to make more effort at making education a key instrument in both national and sub-national development. The paper identifies rents/royalties from oil and gas in Bayelsa State as the major culprit. Furthermore, it assertsthat life of flamboyance and affluence without commensurate hard work, has caused disdain for education among the youths of Bayelsa State.