Poverty Alleviation Programs in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges (original) (raw)
Related papers
AN APPRAISAL OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIAN
Elite Project Writers, 2019
The fight against poverty has been a central plank of development planning in Nigeria since independence. Observers have unanimously agreed that successive government’s interventions have failed to achieve the objectives for which they were established. It is against this background that the paper examines the various government policies targeted towards poverty alleviation in Nigeria with a view to, come up with policy recommendations for effective and efficient implementation of such policies. Exploration into the literature revealed that governments in power often seek to introduce their own policy and in the process, any other policy inherited from successors are either abandoned absolutely or rendered impotent. There is therefore lack of succession planning and some governments even watch their baby program dying prematurely to give birth to another with different orientation and strategic focus and as such the paper recommends that all programs centered towards poverty alleviation should henceforth be harmonized under the same umbrella, and each unit being accountable and responsible for their actions.
Poverty Alleviation Strategies and Governance in Nigeria
The paper takes a look at poverty as a global phenomenon but admits that the intensity and scale vary from one society to another. It asserts that there is widespread poverty in Nigeria despite its great endowments. The paper notes that successive regimes in Nigeria have been introducing different programmes to alleviate poverty. It established a link between poverty alleviation programmes (strategies) and governance and blamed the failure of such programmes on absence of good governance. The paper uses secondary data and adopted the elite theory to explain why poverty alleviation programmes fail in Nigeria bearing in mind some of the past programmes. Viable recommendations are made in the paper to ensure the success of future programmes of government. Introduction The high level of poverty in Nigeria, which has attained an endemic nature, is becoming worrisome. Poverty has made Nigeria to attain an unenviable status as one of the poorest countries in the world, such that no government (no matter the level), organization, community, clan or family can survive effectively without introducing one kind of poverty reduction strategy or the other. This problem is essentially not that of programme and strategies so adapted in poverty reduction efforts. Nigeria has not been known to lack in such efforts; yet she is still ranked among the world's 25 poorest nations (World Bank, 2002; http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.economics.20120202.02.html\_br). Political instability and absence of good governance witnessed by Nigeria over time subjected the various poverty alleviation initiatives to fickleness. As a new regime comes on board, it signals a death knell to the past policies irrespective of the successes recorded. Indeed, there is no gain saying the fact that the formulation and implementation of poverty alleviation programmes are part of the important processes of democratic governance in modern nation-state with a desire for socioeconomic development and crave the provision of the most needed dividends of democratic governance towards enhancing poverty reduction and national security. Nigeria is a state known to have formulated, articulated policies aimed at providing solutions to her numerous problem and development challenges. In fact, the fate of many policy programmes have been that of poor, callous, haphazard implementation and abandonment majorly as a result of perennial political instability as well as bad governance. Poverty is a global phenomenon which affects continents, nations, and people differently. It afflicts people in various depth and levels at different times and phases of existence. There is no nation that is absolutely free from poverty. The main difference is the intensity and prevalence of this malaise. Nations in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America are currently with the highest level of poverty and consequently with the lowest level of socioeconomic development, violence, and unrest and generally unacceptable low standard of living.
Appraising the Policies and Programmes of Poverty Reduction in Nigeria: A Critical View Point
International Journal of Administration and Development Studies, University of Maiduguri, 2013
There is no denying the fact that poverty is increasing both in breadth and depth in Nigeria, hence it is a monster that must be checked. However, no Nigerian Government, be it military or civilian has come without initiating and implementing one form of poverty reduction programme or the other and yet, the high level of poverty in the country has attained an endemic nature. This study is therefore an attempt to look at poverty reduction policies and programmes put in place by the successive administration and how these policies have impacted positively or negatively on the lives of the ordinary Nigerian. The major problems in these policies and programmes, developed over the years hinge on insufficient funding, corruption, politics and lack of continuity, a weak collaboration and coordination, an absence or lack of government will and sincere commitment. Again, such policies and programmes in Nigeria are also fraught with absence of enabling environment for the economy to thrive that delivers multiplier effects on other sectors within the country. To effectively achieve reducing poverty to an acceptable level, policies and strategies of poverty reduction need to address the actual problem of the poor in a holistic manner. Poverty issues cannot effectively be tackled in isolation of other governmental policies and the entire Nigerian environment of uncertainties. A successful poverty reduction policy therefore should focus on general socio economic growth and political development of the country. These will in turn generate wealth and enhance the skill of the people thereby reducing poverty.
African Journal of Business Management, 2009
Poverty is multi-dimensional. It is characterised by lack of purchasing power, exposure to risk, malnutrition, high mortality rate, low life expectancy, insufficient access to social and economic services, etc. Poverty in Nigeria has reached an alarming level and is blamed on non-clear government social policies. Across the world, government plays a key role in poverty alleviation. In the case of Nigeria, the inability of successive governments to streamlined and harness the enormous potentials for improved service delivery in all the existing structures of poverty eradication has resulted into persistent poverty. The paper seeks to explore the extent to which public policies have affected the poverty alleviation programmes in Nigeria with special emphasis on National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP).
Policy Implementation and The Challenges of Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2014
The rising profile of poverty in Nigeria has been a source of concern to successive government. To this end, various policies and programmes have been formulated to no avail. Today Nigeria ranked among poorest nations in the world. This is embarrassing considering the enormous wealth of the nation both in human and natural resources. This paper assesses government programmes and policies related to poverty in Nigeria using secondary source of data through content analysis. It was found that the policies and programme have failed to achieve the desired result due to high level of corruption, Top-bottom approach in tackling poverty, inadequate coordination of various programmes, politicization of poverty alleviation schemes as well as inconsistency in policies and programmes. It therefore recommended that Anti-corruption Agencies should be streamlined, the adoption of bottom-up approach, de-politicization of empowerment scheme as well as continuity, consistency and commitment for effective implementation.
2023
Various policies and programs to combat poverty had been wilfully invented by Nigeria's successive governments with the intent of salvaging the ceaseless concerns of unemployment, poverty and social economic imbalance. However, in some instances, the scheme is concomitantly tilted towards ameliorating the swiftness of disturbances that comes with being unemployed and poor among youth in most localities as well as states of the nation. This study examines Policy Failure in Nigeria; A study of Goodluck Jonathan/Buhari's Poverty Alleviation Programmes in Nigeria. The paper examined the impact of Poverty alleviation policies in Nigeria with particular reference to the programmes of Presidents Jonathan and Buhari's administration. The paper adopts the advocacy coalition theory as a framework for analysis and employs historical/descriptive methods with data collected through Independent research in relevant databases (journal articles, newspaper publications) and expert opinions and factor analysis was used in identifying the circumstances that characterizes the poverty alleviation programmes under study. The paper discusses the components of the poverty alleviation programmes and provides reasons for their failure. The paper recommends that policymakers always do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) analysis of policies at different points in time to determine their performances against public policy goals and objectives. Additional, the Nigerian government must look at policies from a world viewpoint, drawing guidance and tutelage from different sociopolitical systems and environments and working to improve them.
Appraising Poverty Alleviation Programs of Successive Governments in Nigeria
The world over, poverty and inequality are twain plaques ravaging the lives and destroying the essence of living across races, gender, and status. The results as devastating as it is unfathomable, world leaders and policy makers are groping for answers as social structures are depleted; motility rates have gone highand income distribution is a smeared rhetoric. Countries that have perceived these horrendous trends are devising strategies to combat the spurring menace while others heavily overwhelmed are finding it difficult to grasp the realities of these economic thunderbolts. While Africa is home to over One billion people and growing, almost half of the population is poor and vulnerable (World population review, 2014). Nigeria with a population of over 170 million is not only fighting poverty but also in combat with a myriad of challenges, ranging from a dearth of true leaders, to corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, health and nutritional issues.
Poverty & Public Policy, 2010
Given the natural and human resources of Nigeria, it is believed that Nigeria has the potential to become the richest nation in Africa. Presently, however, it is estimated that about 70% of the Nigerian population lives in poverty. President Obasanjo, in his second term as the elected President of Nigeria, launched the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy ('NEEDS'). NEEDS is the Nigerian economic recovery plan for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. This study is a careful analysis of 'NEEDS' and its implementation in order to discover the extent to which the stated goal of poverty reduction has been achieved in the country. Unfortunately, this study has discovered that because of the apparent disconnect between the government and the poor, and the dichotomy between the rich and the poor, NEEDS appears to be a colossal failure in terms of poverty reduction.
Poverty as Development Challenge in Nigeria: An Assessment of Some Poverty Eradication Policies
2017
DOI: 10.21276/sjhss.2017.2.10.9 Abstract: Since independence in 1960 from British colonial rule, the various leadership of Nigeria have adopted various developmental strategies with view to reduce or to some extent do away with poverty but it could not, due to the complex nature of the country‟s poverty which can be termed as chronic. This is because poverty in Nigeria is persistent. It is estimated that up to 70% of Nigerians are living below poverty line. Nigeria has been branded by the international community as the second most corrupt nation in the World. For three consecutive years, 2000, 2001 and 2002, it has maintained that unenviable position. The rating came up as a consequence of several failed attempts by the administration to wipe out corruption and poverty or reduce them to a tolerable level in the polity. It is absolutely frustrating when one realizes the immense potentials in Nigeria. Sixteen years is enough time for any administration to sort out the fundamental prob...
The Menace of Poverty and the Challenges of Public Policy Making in Nigeria
Journal of Sustainable Development, 2016
This study contends that poverty is a global phenomenon and no nation is immune to the scourge it is capable of causing especially when determined and clear policy measures are not put in place to check the menace. The objectives that interrogates the nerves of this discourse is to assess the rate of poverty in Nigeria as well as examine the role of government in poverty eradication. Also, to identify the various initiatives that governments in Nigeria have put in place since the pre; through and the post Structural Adjustment Programme era of the nation. Findings from the study reveals that attitudinal response and approach of both the government and the governed is appalling. Also, there exist a sharp disconnect between the government and the governed which has resulted into policy formulations that fail to meet the yearning, demand and desire of the people. Meanwhile, it was established that political and policy instability, poor targeting mechanism and inadequate coordination am...