POVERTY IN THE MIDST OF WEALTH A PARADOX IN NIGERIA Chinnah Promise Chinwe
Ph.D Scholar, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria
Abstract - It is unbelievable that a nation as blessed as they are poverty is still endemic.
Nigeria is endowed with both material and human resources that are cable of transforming and catapulting her from developing to developed nation within a very short period of time, reverse is the case as Nigeria wallows in perpetual poverty enveloped with all excruciating features of underdevelopment namely poverty, unemployment, low capita income, lack of infrastructural facilities and social amenities, high death rate to mention but few. The paper made use of secondary data and adopted the system approach as theoretical framework for the study, using content analysis. The paper examined why the nation is engulfed with poverty despite human and material resources available. There is nothing to show in form of growth and development in correlation to resources endowed considering the level of poverty that is prevalent and endemic. What are the constraints to eradication /alleviation of poverty in Nigeria? Why political leaders and actors have refused to embrace policies and projects that will help to reduce poverty? What are the uses of our national patrimonial wealth from oil and other resources forms statement of problems for this paper? The aims of the paper are to address the use of our resources judiciously in order to reduce poverty.
To suggest policies, mechanisms and strategies for poverty reduction, and to proffer solutions on how poverty can be reduced drastically. The paper identified constraints to poverty reduction which includes lack of political will, corruption, favoritism, kleptocracy, lack of planning, poor policy formulation and implementation. Conclusively the paper made the following recommendations on how poverty can be drastically reduced in Nigeria; they are good policy formulations, proper evaluation and monitoring, active and dynamic institutional framework, strong working anti graft agency, accountability and transparency and good governance.
1 INTRODUCTION
Nigeria is one of the most blessed countries in the world. Nigeria is blessed and gifted with all that is needed to make life comfortable and enjoyable by every average citizen. The environment is blessed with both dry and wet season, the beautiful surrounding, the oceans, lakes, rivers, mountain and low land with fertile land for agricultural activities including savannah for grassing of animals.
Nigerian have over 30 different mineral resources both tapped and untapped. We have eminent erudite scholars in the academia and outstanding persons doing well in other field of human endeavors.
The oil and gas in Nigeria is more than enough to make the nation economy one of the best in the world if judiciously managed. Oil was discovered in Nigerian in 1958 in Olobiri in Bayelsa state. Oil and gas account for over 75% of Nigeria national earning. Despite the revenues from oil and gas there is little or nothing to show that the nation have a single oil well considering the level of underdevelopment and income per capita
of other oil producing states like Nigeria in African and beyond. it is unbelievable but real in June, 2018 Nigeria was declared as the headquarter of poverty as she overtook India with an estimated 86.9 million of her population living in extreme poverty which skyrocketed after one year to 93.7 million in June 2019.Rasaki (2019) This is incredible but credulous considering realities on ground as majority of the people in Nigeria living on less than $ 1.90 US Dollar per day.
Nigeria has all what it takes to be among of one of the best world economy going by her wealth and natural resources deposited in the country. It might interest you to know that over 75%
percent of Nigerians lives below poverty line. It is pathetic to see a nation where billions and trillions are sold from the oil and gas yet the people are very poor. That is a paradox of parody of the highest level.
Countries at the same stage of underdevelopment with Nigeria in late 1960 and 1970s have all overtaken Nigeria in everything, example of such
nation include, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Singapore, including South African of yesterday. In fact all the Asian Tigers can boast of many things in term of development. Singapore moved from developing to developed world while Nigeria retrogressed from developing to sinking stinking stage of underdevelopment despite all her wealth.
Poverty is ostensibly on the faces of Nigerians and visible on the environment, including rating and ranking from international organizations. Budgets are made year after year to combat poverty and underdevelopment yet poverty is on increase. The dramatic irony is that the higher the nation wealth, the deeper Nigerians sinks into poverty. What an irony of situation? Life in Nigeria is tantamount to hell practical on planet earth. Majority lives in abject poverty below $l dollar per day while few microscopic aristocrats lives in perfect ostensible luxury. The wealth of the nation is been appropriated and used by the few ruling class and top civil servants acting as accomplice.
In an ideal situation Nigeria should have been in the frontrunner of development at global level and a forerunner of development in African continent considering her resources if properly tapped and judiciously utilized.
The level of poverty and other features of underdevelopment in Nigerian cities and towns is pathetic, the condition and situation is more heartbreaking in the rural areas, there are no water, no good road, no health care, and no hope to get it in the near possible feature it is really pathetic to see Nigerians in the rural areas. There are families that cannot eat a meal per day. People are dying on daily bases as a result of poverty and hunger, poor health care and other infrastructural facilities and amenities needed to make life simple and easy yet the nation is bastardly rich in oil and gas and other resources exported to other nations of the world. This is a complete paradox of suffering in the midst of wealth.
In view of the above narrated problem of suffering in the midst of plenty, the study will investigate why resources are not properly utilized, why development have been impossible in Nigeria. Why developmental initiatives
and anti poverty programme has produced zero result since political independence till date. Poverty is the mother of many crimes and antisocial behaviors anywhere it is found. The high rate of insecurity in the northern Nigeria and other parts of the country are end product of poverty. The clamor for marginalization in the Niger Delta area and South East geopolitical zone of the country are poverty originated. This presage great danger to the unity and development of the nation if not addressed. The study will address the issue of poverty in the midst of plenty.
Why poverty has remained endemic in Nigeria? Why all development initiatives in Nigeria failed? It is in an attempt to seek answers to the above problems that this study is carried out.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
Poverty: There is no universal acceptable definition of poverty as there are many definitions of the concept poverty. For instance World Bank (1999) posited that poverty is pronounced as deprivation in well-being and comprises many dimensions. It includes, low income and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. It encompasses low level of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one’s life, UN (1998) stated fundamentally, poverty is denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in the society; it means not having enough to feed with the family, not having school or clinic to go to, not having land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living and not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence and often implies living in marginal or fragile environment, without access to clean water. According to UN (1995) poverty has various manifestations, including lack of income and productive resources sufficient to ensure sustainable livelihoods, hunger and malnutrition, ill-health, limited or
lack of access to education and other basic services, increase morbidity and mortality from illness, homelessness and inadequate housing, unsafe environment and social discrimination and exclusion.
It is also characterized lack of participation in decision –making and in civil, social and cultural life. OECD (2001) posited that poverty encompasses different dimensions of deprivation that relates to human capabilities including consumption and food security, dignity, and decent work. Poverty must be reduced in the context of environmental sustainability. Reducing gender inequality is paramount to all dimensions of poverty.
Development Assistance Commission (2001) reported that poverty is multidimensional concept, that poverty encompasses different dimensions of deprivation that relates to human capabilities including consumption and food security, health, education rights, voice, security, dignity and decent work.
From the above definitions of poverty it is crystal that poverty is a multidimensional, covering all area of human endeavor. The central theme is that it connotes lacks and need from what one expected or desired in life. This study is limited to the definitions of poverty to as stated above as it covers all that concerns Nigeria as a focus of the study.
Wealth: Marriam-Webster Dictionary (2019) defined wealth as abundance of valuable materials possession or resources. Abundant supply profusion, all property that has a money value or an exchange value, all material object that have economic utility. This definition will be adopted here as the operational definition of wealth in this study. From the meaning of wealth above it is clear that Nigeria has many resources in abundance with both economic and utility value.
There are over thirty solid mineral deposits (metallic and no metallic) in various degree of abundance in different part of the country but only a small proportion of them are exploited RMRD (2001). Obaden (2017) averred that God singled out Nigeria for greatness and blessing as Nigeria have been free from natural disasters like earthquakes, tremors, hurricane, tornados, wildfire,
volcanic eruption cyclone and monsoon despite all her natural and human resources endowment. With divine gift from god Nigeria is supposed to be among the world best in everything positive mostly on economy. It is regrettable to seen Nigerians wallow in abject poverty and dies in excruciating condition under poverty. The level of poverty in Nigeria is very high , Mohammed (2019) stated that about 90 million people – roughly half Nigerian population live in extreme poverty according to estimate from World Data Lab’s Poverty Clock (2018) . He went further to say that ending poverty in Nigeria will entail improving the country’s economic productivity and opportunities for citizens. Daniel (2011) posited that poverty kept rising in Nigeria to the extent that about 100 million of her citizens live below the poverty line of & 1 Dollar per day. Vanguard news (2018) World Bank Human Capital Index (2019) ranked Nigeria 152 out of 177 countries of the world. In 2018 Nigeria was rank second in the world as the country with the largest number of poor people with extreme poverty. That same year world capital of poverty was moved from India to Nigeria as she overtook India, while Democratic Republic of Conga took second position. Amnesty International, Global Corruption Index ranked Nigeria 146 out of 180 counties in 2019, (CNN news 2019, US News Report 2020)
Kale (2012) stated that Nigeria economy is projected to grow, but poverty is likely to get worse as the gap between the rich and the poor countries widens on daily bases he considers poverty to be a paradox in which a higher proportion of Nigerians continue to live in poverty in spite of the continues enormous growth in the economy year after year. In the same line of argument Nwobi (2003) opined that Nigeria present a paradox because the country is rich but the people are poor.
Abiola and Olaopa (2003) averred that the scourge of poverty in Nigeria is an incontrovertible fact which results in hunger, ignorance malnutrition, disease, and unemployment, poor access to credit facilities and low life expectancy as well as a general level of human hopelessness.
Poverty in Nigeria is outwardly seen in the faces of Nigerians and visibly made manifest in the mentality of people.
A journey from Sokoto to Port Harcourt, Maduguri to Calabar and Lagos to Calabar you will know that the nation is really poor from what you will see on the road, the bad roads and the number of people begging on the road. If you visit the rural areas the stories diametrically changes to a more a sordid state. One will begin to wonder where those monies from oil and gas and other resources are.
Nigeria started exportation of crude oil in 1968 and cannot be proud of one single functioning refinery. It is lugubriously laughable although pathetic. UNDP (2010) stated that from 1980s poverty incidence has been on the increase still date, Omotala (2008) deposited that over 70%
percent of the population lives in abject poverty.
2.1 Theoritical Framework
The study adopted system approach as the theoretical framework, System theory as argued by Ezeani (2006) is the same thing with system approach as they are applied to political science/public administration. David Easton (1968) used system theory to analyze political issues and matters. It is the trans-disciplinary study of abstract organization of phenomena, independent of their substance, type, spatial, temporal, scale of existence. The system theory was formulated by a biologist Ludwig Von Bertalanffy in 1940, General Systems Theory (1968) was further expressed and developed by Ross Ashby. Von Bertalanffy was reacting against reducationism and to revive the unity of science. He expressed that real system are open to and interact freely with their environment, resulting in continual evolution. System theory is a broad base multi-disciplinary approach to knowledge and was popularized by Lolfi Zadeh an electrical engineer.
The central idea of the system theory is that individuals, organizations and its agencies do not function in isolation. Scholars like Matterlart and Lattimore, (1988) Littlejohn and Foss (2005) Toth and Leunven (2004) tried in their respective works to throw more light on system theory. From their respective works, they link it to human body in explaining how a system works. Those different parts of human body working
together for the wellbeing of the whole body. System theory focuses on the arrangement and relationship between the parts which connects them to the whole. In system theory, there are concept like system, environment, boundary, input, output, process, state, hierarchy, goal-directedness and information as all work together to determine a system success or failure which is independent of the concrete substance of the element.
System theory is universally used in all discipline in the analysis and application such as in engineering, ecology, computer, sociology, management, etc.
System analysis developed independently of system theory, applies system principles to formulate a decision by policy makers on identifying problems, reconstructing, optimizing and controlling a system, while taken into account multiple objectives, constraints and resources.
It aims to identify and specify possible causes of action, risk, cost and benefit. It is closely connected to cybernetics and system dynamics which changes in a network of couple variable (Heyghene and Josely (1992).
Lattimore et al (2004: 47) postulated that the system perspective emphasis the interdependency of organization with their environment, both internal and external to the organization.
Like the family, all system are unique but characterized by a pattern of relationship.
Mcshane Ghaow (2008) observed that system theory describe a network of subsystem that need to be continually aligned with each other in a complex activity of transforming inputs into outputs. Schuiarz (2010) see system theory as a science of “wholeness” to overcome mechanistic and reductionist approaches, unlike the reductionist theory, system theory emphasized on the combination and interrelatedness of the parts which provides the greatest result for the whole.
The system theory in almost every process can be divided into input, process and output & feedback and interdependency. The choice of system theory as the theoretical framework for this study is based on the fact that system theory has key ideas that people work together, create realities of their
social groups, organization, and culture and are coherent.
The relevance of system theory to this study cannot be overemphasized Nigeria as a nation is made up of many structures and sub structures, like the federal, state and local government, ministries, paracetals, agencies and departments, the tribes with their varied cultural heritages. All the structures must function effectively for the society to achieve its set goal. To reduce poverty calls for a unified concerted effort of all the parts and structures in the country.
All the parts that connect the whole must work in accordance with each other and consider the environment and feedback.
As postulated by system theorist, a system is essentially an assemblage of things interconnected or independent, so as to form a complex unity (Koontz in Ezeani 2006).
Input and output analysis is very important in system theory and the environment must be supportive to the system if the system must survive and achieve optimally feedback mechanism.
2.2 Courses of Poverty in Nigerian NPC (2004) Ogwumike (2001) Ajakaiye and Adedeyeye (2001) as cited in Omoniyi (2008) stated that in Nigeria the nature of determinant of poverty can be traced to low or declining level of economic growth, income inequalities, unemployment, corruption, bad governance, diversion of funds into non-developmental projects, funds embezzlement, inappropriate macro-economic policies, inadequate endowment of human capital debt or borrowing , labour market deficiencies that cause by limited growth in job creation, low productivity, low wages in the informal sector and poor development of human resources. structural deficiencies such as environmental degradation, workers retrenchment, frequent and increase in crime rates and violence, decrease in the real value of safely nets, structural changes in the family as well as the neglect of the agricultural sector , non development of infrastructure facilities, lack of enabling environment for infant industries, epileptic power supply, depreciation of the Nigerian currency. Some of the points listed above will be explained briefly below
as the rationale behind vicious poverty in Nigeria and underdevelopment
1. Poor Education: World Bank (2007) posited that education plays an important role in economic growth and national productivity as well as innovative and democratic values.
This means that education is a tool to fight poverty anywhere in the world.
The type of educational curriculum and philosophy of a nation determine the type of graduates it will produce.
Nigeria is busy producing graduates that are not scientifically and technologically rooted and grounded, which will definitely lead to unemployment and poverty. The rate of literacy in northern Nigeria and other parts of the country account for high level of poverty in Nigeria.
UNESCO (2017) reported that 171 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty if they left school with basic reading skills……… that with good education world poverty could be cut in half.
2. Bad Governance: Past and present government since independence both civilian and military are not responsible and responsive to the plight and welfare of the citizen. They adopt lip stick approach in handling projects, policies and programmes that will reduce poverty. Government policies and programme are based on urban-bias, nepotism, kletocracy and prebendalism. Government is not ready to embark on any developmental project that will alleviate the suffering of the masses.
Their interest is to siphon the state resources and store it in foreign accounts for their generation unborn to the detriment of the people.
Corruption is seen as a cog in the wheel of development and growth of Nigeria. Ross (2014) opined that corruption and economic mismanagement has scared away both domestic and foreign investors from the economy. This is one of the problems of endemic poverty in Nigeria. Dike (2015) posited that Nigeria existing democratic structure are not yet effective. Their extractive political and economic institutions do not create incentive for citizens to
save, invest and innovate. Power and wealth are concentrated in the hands of those controlling state apparatus.
Those in power the patrimonial wealth on luxury, such as buying buildings abroad, going abroad for medical treatment and on tourism without investing the money here in Nigeria.
Government without vision and mission will produce demotion and retrogression. Imagine political parties in Nigeria are formed without ideologies. Government lacks the will power to embark on any developmental project that will placate the unbearable suffering of the masses. This account for increase in poverty.
3. Climatic change natural disaster:
World Bank (2016) estimated that climatic change has the power to push more than 100 million people into poverty over the next 10 years, drought and flooding, severe storms.
The flood of 2017 and 2019 in Rivers state led to hunger, scarcity of food and above all poverty. Cultivated farmlands were submerged; people lost billions and thousand to the flood.
4. Disease and ill-health: There are diseases that renders someone incapacitated when those disease comes in form of epidemic many people are effected and a sick person cannot do job to eke a living. For instance in 2000 it was estimated that 2.6 million adult were infested with Aids, this has a negative influence in the labour market from earning a living Omoniyi (2016) . The current corona virus of March 2020 is affecting nations adversely and if the pandemic epidemic continuous many nations will short down completely and poverty is the end result.
5. Over Dependency on oil and non diversification of the economy: The economy of the Nation is purely dependent on oil. The country has abandoned agriculture which is labour intensive than oil. The oil and gas has done more harm than good to the nation as a result of environmental degradation and pollution. How many Nigerians are employed in the oil and gas sector?
There is high rate of unemployment in
the land which also causes poverty.
The oil industries represent the interest of the western nation. Another paradox a nation known for production of crude oil and gas cannot boast of one functional refinery.
Nigeria import fuel from other nation of the world that doesn’t produce crude oil.
6. Conflict and insecurity: Meaningful development cannot take place in an atmosphere of rancour. Peace is a requisite for growth and development.
If you may recall during the early militancy and kidnapping saga in the Niger Delta area many oil companies relocated from Nigeria. The current Boko Haram in North East is a threat to growth and meaningful development. Other factors include, low productivity, debt burden, political instability, migration, structural changes, inequalities, laziness,
7. Jumbo salaries to political office holders: Nigeria is the only nation in the world where over forty percent of the national budget goes to the federal legislative arms. The salary and allowances of one federal law makers can in a month can pay more than fifteen graduates in a month. Part of this money could have been used to alleviate poverty.
8. Elites negative attitude to developmental project and their connivance with government and multinational oil companies and corporate organizations in siphoning of public wealth, sabotaging contracts and other developmental projects. . 9. Corruption and Illicit financial flow
from the country.
10. Poor formulation and implementation of policies to reduce poverty.
The above mentioned points are the reasons behind the escalating poverty level in Nigeria.
3 PAST AND PRESENT GOVERNMENT MEASURES TO POVERTY REDUCTION /ALLEVIATION IN NIGERIA
Nigeria government at all level both military and civilian has adopted several anti poverty policies, programmes and strategies to poverty reduction. The measures are many and in different operations, the central aim of all the anti
poverty programmms is to reduce poverty make life easy and enjoyable for the masses. The includes,
1. Agricultural Development Programmme (ADP)
2. Strategic Grains Resources Programme (SGRP)
3. Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank (NACB) Nigeria Agricultural Cooperative and Rural Development Bank. (NACRDB)
4. Bank of Agriculture.
5. Directorate of Food Road and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI)
6. National Directorate of Employment (NDE)
7. Peoples Bank of Nigeria (PBN) 8. Community Banking System (CBS)
Micro Finance Bank (MFB)
9. Local Environmental Empowerment and Management Programm (LEEMP) changed to Community and Social Development Programm (CSDP)
10. Family Economic Advancement Programme ( FEAP)
11. Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) 1976-1980.
12. Better Life for Rural Women (BLRW) 1987-1993.
13. Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) 2001-2007.
14. National Poverty Alleviation Programmme, National Poverty Eradication Programm (NAPEP) 15. National Economic Empowerment
and Development Strategies (NEEDS) 2004-2007.
16. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2000- 2015.
17. Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) 2011-2015.
18. Anchor Borrowers Scheme (ABS) 2015.
19. N-Power Programme 2016.
20. E- Wallet Programmme 2012-2015.
21. Seven Point Agenda (SPA) 22. Primary Heath Care (PHC)
23. Federal Urban Mass Transit Scheme 24. National Agricultural Land
Development Authorities (NALDA) 25. Guinea Worm Eradication.
26. Rural Banking Programme.
27. Green Revolution
28. Rura l Electrification Scheme.
29. Free and Compulsory Primary Education.
30. Petroleum Trust Fund.
31. Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme.
32. Nigeria Agricultural Land Development Authority.
33. National Directorate of Employment.
34. Visio 20 : 2020 35. N-Power
All the anti poverty initiatives had little or no impact to the people as poverty is on astronomical rate. The stabbing poverty in Nigeria is a complete paradox considering the billions and trillions in the nation. Garba (2006) averred that all the poverty alleviation initiatives in Nigeria since independence have yielded very little fruit, that the programme were poorly designed, lacked clearly defined policy framework with proper guideline for poverty alleviation. They suffer from political instability, interference, policy and macroeconomic dislocation, they lacked continuity and they are riddled with corruption, political deception outright kleptomania and distasteful looting. All anti poverty initiatives were leeway to siphon public wealth and an avenue to compensate political associates, party followers and military cabal. Money meant for it was not accounted for. The entire program died natural death, till date no government had the will power to investigate any of them. This is a clear indication that government and the ruling aristocrats are not ready to reduce poverty. Ovwasa (2000) stated that the politics of poverty arises essentially from the fact that those who are saddled with the responsibility of alleviating poverty are non poor and in Nigeria case the probable cause of the problem. The excessive power enjoyed by public office holders in the name of immunity is another problem that is few people benefit from state generosity leaving the large population in abject poverty.
UNDP (2010) identified the following challenges to poverty reduction in Nigeria, poor governance, it noted that GDP growth rate in Nigeria is inversely related to governance indicator, such as political instability and absence of violence/
terrorism, economic governance and government,…….
It is true that Nigeria economy is growing, even with the slump in oil prices, but those growth are paradoxically
accompanied or ushered with high or rising indices of misery, social and economic deprivation, poor and decay infrastructure, high level of poverty and unemployment, decease, high rate of illiteracy hunger among others.( Punch Newspaper 2012) Anti poverty programmmes were poorly formulated, implemented, lack focus for evaluation, transparency and accountability with no will power to alleviate poverty among the masses rather it was designed to enrich few people and party followers. No wonder the more the programme the high rate of excruciating poverty in Nigeria. Dauda (2019) stated that government at all level, local, state and national at different point in time initiated policies to combat development challenges including poverty;
however, majority of the programmes appeared not to have yielded the desired results, instead of poverty to reduce, it continues to rise.
3.1 The Paradox of Paroady of Wealth and Poverty in Nigeria
Nigerian wealth if judiciously utilized is capable of transforming the country for good and move her from developing to developed world with one of the best economy in the globe. If nations like Singapore can move from developing to developed world then Nigeria has no reason for been underdeveloped considering all resources, currently Nigeria is the largest producer of oil and gas in African and number 10 in the world.
Government over the years has failed to develop the country as a result of greed, bad government, corruption and embezzlement. Leaders have appropriated wealth to themselves. The remaining wealth budgeted for developmental project and programmmes are used by the same set of people via award of contract that are either abandoned or done with substandard materials. Imagine what a senator takes home as salaries per month relate it to thirty thousand naira minimum wage for Nigerian workers. This is laughable and pitiable. These monies are transferred and kept in foreign bank, used to develop already civilized developed nations like Britain, USA and Australia to mention but few.
The wealth of the nation are spent on luxury both home and abroad by the few political gladiators, actors and their cronies, a visit to the residential house of any political past and present leaders, there you will see for yourself the type of building they have, flit of exotic cars and the type of flamboyant lifestyle they live.
Their children attend the best universities in the western world; they go to the best medical hospital anywhere in the world and allow our educational and health sector and other areas to deteriorate.
They go to abroad for shopping and tourism, bank their ill-gotten wealth in Europe and buy houses all over in foreign countries.
The level of poverty in shocking, endemic and chronic a holistic approach is needed to tackle the menace called poverty. It kills faster than corona virus it is highly contagious. Poverty is a crime against humanity. Poverty is cancerous and mother of many atrocious crimes.
There is a strong relationship between poverty and crime as established in this study. Poverty can make people do what ordinarily they shouldn’t have done.
There is an adage that says an idle person is a devil workshop. Many of the young boys and men, ladies that perpetrated crimes today are idle persons. They look at crime as the last resort. Poverty gives birth to criminality and insecurity. The high rate of criminality today is as a result of poverty orchestrated by bad government. When poverty is reduced to the barest minimum crime rate will follow suit.
4 SUMMARY
The study titled Poverty in the Midst of wealth a paradox in Nigeria examined the subject matter critically and relating realities to issues on ground. The study established the relationship between poverty and wealth in the midst of much wealth. The paper made use of secondary data and adopted system theory as the theoretical framework. The study examined the rationale behind failure of all past and present developmental initiatives to reduced poverty in Nigeria.
List of all anti poverty programme were listed and the paradox between poverty
and wealth established.
Recommendations made on how poverty can be drastically reduced in Nigeria.
5 CONCLUSION
The alarming rate of poverty in Nigeria is the midst of affluence is a paradox of parody. The economic growth in Nigeria has no reflection on poverty reduction rather it increases the rate of poverty which is also a paradox. In the mixed of this dramatic economy and social irony one is tempted to say that Nigeria is tagged for perpetual poverty relating our revenue to the level of poverty in the nation. There is no single sector that is working in Nigeria what a shame. All ministries agencies and departments, all the sectors get their yearly budget year in year out but nothing to show as underdevelopment and poverty is high in the nation. To reduce poverty the government of the day must be proactive, committed with political will to fight poverty and corruption. The study discovered that those fighting poverty are corrupt and lack the moral and administrative justification to fight poverty. They use their position to enrich themselves instead of fighting poverty.
That account for failure of all anti poverty programme in the nation. The paper concluded that Nigerian wealth has never or ever reflected in any of her sectors not even in the life of individuals. The environment and the people has nothing to show as the nation is been plagued with all features of underdevelopment, rotten infrastructure, dilapidated roads, hunger, mass unemployment to mention but few. The study made recommendations on how poverty can reduce.
6 RECOMMENDATION
The relationship between poverty and wealth in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Poverty is visibly on the faces Nigerians. To combat this ugly saga called poverty government of the day must be radical and proactive right from policy formulations to policy executions.
There should be consultancy of the targeted beneficiaries of any anti poverty programmes.
The practice of true democracy at all level will usher in leaders that will be responsible and accountable to the
people. This will guarantee and ensure good governance based on accountability and transparency.
The diversification of the economy to a labour intensive economy that will take care of the unemployed people this will lead to empowerment. Government should encourage agriculture and mining of other natural resources available in the country.
The establishment of a functional independent Anti graft agency to punish corrupt officials and those culpable of corruption and other antisocial vices this will serve as a deterrent to others.
Corruption should be fought to stand still.
Political stability, good education, provision of jobs and other means of empowerment will help to reduce poverty.
The reappraisal of some of the anti poverty measures will act as an eye opener pointing out its faults, some had laudable objectives but died as a result of corruption and cronyism.
Good leadership and management devoid of political and ethic coloration will enthrone effective service delivery. Let merit rule over man know man. Let government provide employment and other basic essential services for her citizenry. Rural areas should be provided with basic amenities like electricity, good roads, good drinking water, health facilities to mention but few.
Government should have the desired will power to fight poverty. The jumbo salaries of political office holders be reviewed and reduced. Minimum wage be raised to one hundred thousand per month for the least worker.
Provision of enabling environment devoid of crisis and conflict will attract investors. Government should provide credit facilities to individual that want to into business. Reduction of taxes.
Government should provide basic essential services for her citizens. The curriculum of education should be geared towards entrepreneurship self-reliance and empowerment. Sound education that will produced people with scientific, technological skill will help to reduce poverty.
REFERNCES
1. Abiola, A. G and Olaopa, O. R. (2008) Economic Development and Democratic
Sustenance in Nigeria In E.O. Ojo (eds) Challenges of Sustenance Democracy in Nigeria. Ibadan, John Archers Publishers Limited.
2. Aliyu, C. U. (2013) Growth without Development .Confronting The Paradox. A Paper Presented at the Fourth Annual ICAN Conference, Abuja, Nigeria.
3. Amnesty International Global Corruption Index (2019).
4. Akeredolu, A.S.F (1986) Strategy for Growth- led Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria.CBN Economics and Financial Review 35 (3).
5. Ajakaiyea, D. O and Adeyeye, V. A (2007) Concept Measurement and Causes of Poverty in Nigeria. Central Bank of Nigeria, Economic and Financial Review. 39(4), 1-17.
6. Danaa, V.V. (2018) Analyzing Poverty in Nigeria through Theoretical Lens. Journal of Sustainable Development 11(1), 20-31.
7. Daniel, E. I, Moses, M. D. and Bankole, O.
(2009) Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria: Which Way Nigeria. Lagos, Holler Africa Publications.
8. Garba, B, (2013) Informal Sector and Poverty in Sokoto State. Unpublished PhD proposal, Department of Economics UDU Sokoto.
9. Ewubare, D.B and Okpani, A. O. (2018) Poverty and Income Inequality in Nigeria.1980-2017. International Journal of Advance Studies in Ecology, Development and Sustainability 5(1)138-152.
10. Kale, Y (2012) The Review of the Nigeria Economy .National Bureau of Statistics, Abuja.
11. Lawrence, I.E. (2015) The Paradox of Economic Growth Without Development in Nigeria.
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 20(5)64-77.
12. Dike, V, E. (2015) Why Nation Fail to Develop.
The Case of Nigeria, Sage Journal.
13. Danaa, V. V (2018) Analyzing Poverty in Nigeria Through Theoretical Lenses. Journal of Sustainable Development 11(1) 20-31.
14. Dauda, R. S. (2017) Poverty and Economic Growth In Nigeria: Issues and Policies.
Journal of Poverty, 2(1), 61-78.
15. Dauda, R. S. (2019) Poverty in Nigeria:
Challenges and Policy Dimension, retrieved from www.mondopoli.it on 24th March, 2020.
16. Omotala, J. S. (2008) Combating Poverty for Sustainable Human Development in Nigeria.
The Continuing Struggle. Journal of Poverty 12(4).
17. Ovwasa, O. l (2000) Constraints on Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria. Political Science Review. Official Journal of Department of Political Science. University of Ilorin, Nigeria, 1(1).
18. Omoniyi, B.B.(2016) Impact of Poverty on Economic Growth .A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria and Ghana. Unpublished PhD Thesis.
Ekiti State University.
19. Omoniyi, B. B. (2018) An Examination of Causes of Poverty on Economic Growth in Nigeria. African’s Public Service 6 (1).
20. Orokpo, O. F, Haruna, P.O. and Asmau, M.A.(2018) Nigerian’s Raising Poverty Profile Amidst Poverty Alleviation Programme.
Interrogating the Paradox. International Journal of Innovative Development and Policy Studies 6(2) 109-116.
21. Oshewolo, S. (2010) Galloping Poverty in Nigeria: Appraisal of Government Interventionist Policies. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa.12 (6) 263-274.
22. Mohammed. L (2019) F. C. Committed to Eradicating Poverty in Nigeria. Retrieved from Vanguardngr.com on 24th March 2020.
23. Punch Newspaper, March 13 2012.
24. Punch Newspaper, June, 2012, 2014.
25. Merrian Webster Dictionary (2019) online.
26. www,jst.or
27. National Population Commission (2004) 28. Development Assistance Commission (2001) 29. RMRD (2001)
30. http.shareweb,com
31. http.apsdpr.org. An Examination of the Causes of Poverty on Economic Growth in Nigeria. Omoniyi, B. B. retrieved online on 17th February, 2020.
32. Obadan, M.I. (2020) Nigerian’s Economy:
Paradox of Poverty Amidst of Plenty. The Economy, retrieved online on 15th February, 2020 from www.worldeconomics.com.
33. World Bank (1999, 2001).
34. Human Development Report. Oxford University, New York.
35. World Bank (2004, 2006) Poverty and Inequality Database. Washington, D. C.
36. World Bank Capital Index (2019).
37. World Data Poverty Clock (2018) 38. UNESCO (2017)
39. UNDP (2010) 40. World Bank (2007)
41. United Nation (1995) and (1998) 42. OECD (2001)
43. National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) Abuja, 2003-2017.
44. Nwobi, G.C(2003) Solving the Poverty Crisis in Nigeria: An Applied General Equilibrium Approach. Quantitative Economic Research Burea. Gwagwalada, Abuja.
45. CNN News (2019) 46. US News Report (2020)
