Rural Youths Development Needs in the Niger Delta Area of Nigeria

The strategic roles of youths in rural development in the Niger delta area of Nigeria cannot be overstated. This is because they form the mouthpiece for the community in contemporary times. This study examines the development needs of rural youths in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was administered to 197 randomly selected respondents in the study area. Data analysis was through frequency, percentage and chi square. Findings of the study showed that majority of the respondents (55.3%) are between 20 and 25 years; rural youths have various development needs which include employment opportunities, educational advancement, environmental protection, community development, skill acquisition, social interaction, community services, health services, crop production, livestock production, decisions in development planning, scholarship training, leadership training, personality development, money making activities, information, computer related technologies. Results showed that education, gender, occupation. location significantly influenced perceived development needs. Also 51.8 percent of the respondents are males; 88.3 percent of the respondents are single; 59.9 percent are students; 53.8 percent located in the urban areas age, education, gender, marital status, occupation, location significantly influenced attitude of rural youths towards rural development.