What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to investigate how youth unemployment and political factors contribute to restiveness in Gombe State.

February 12, 2026Journal of Political Science and International Relations0 citationsOpen Access

Youth Without Work, A Nation Without Peace: Examining the Causal Relationship Between Youth Unemployment and Restiveness in Gombe State-Nigeria

MSMustapha SheikhUniversity of Leeds BUBob UshieNile University of Nigeria SAStephen AdeyemiEkiti State University

Puntos clave

The aim is to investigate how youth unemployment and political factors contribute to restiveness in Gombe State.
Mixed-methods research design utilized.
Quantitative data collected from 396 respondents via structured questionnaires.
Qualitative insights obtained through interviews with 40 key informants.
Data analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic content analysis.
Unemployment shows a statistically significant but weak relationship with youth restiveness (χ² = 78.75; p = 0.000).
Political exploitation has a strong relationship with youth restiveness (χ² = 316.63; p = 0.000).
Unemployment-induced restiveness negatively impacts socioeconomic development.
Implementation challenges significantly hinder the effectiveness of government interventions.

Resumen

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the causal relationship between unemployment and youth restiveness in Gombe Metropolis, with a particular focus on the Kalare Gang. Against the backdrop of widespread youth unemployment and escalating insecurity in northern Nigeria, the study sought to explore how joblessness and socio-political marginalization contribute to the persistence of restive behaviour among youths. Using a mixed-methods research design, quantitative data were collected from 396 respondents through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were obtained from 40 purposively selected key informants via interviews and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results indicate that unemployment (χ² = 78.75; p = 0.000) has a statistically significant, though relatively weak relationship with youth restiveness, whereas political exploitation (χ² = 316.63; p = 0.000) has a strong statistically significant relationship with youth restiveness, indicating that unemployment, in combined with political influence by politicians are major drivers of youth involvement in “Kalare menace”. The study also established that unemployment-induced restiveness has a strong statistically significant and negative relationship with socioeconomic development. The result further revealed that implementation challenges has a strong statistically significant and negative relationship with effectiveness of government interventions. These results are further reinforced by qualitative insights. The study concludes that youth restiveness is structurally driven by socioeconomic factors, in combined with political factor, and institutionally sustained. If the Kalare menace is not decisively and holistically addressed, it has the potential to metamorphose into a full-blown terrorist organization in the future. The study recommends the implementation of multidimensional interventions including sustainable youth employment programme, legislation, and intelligence-driven security strategies.

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