THE PERVASIVENESS OF POVERTY IN NIGERIA; IMPLICATIONS AND THE WAY FORWARD

Abstract

The declared major goal of government in Nigeria has been to improve the standard of living of the citizens, raised the level of happiness and dignity ofthe citizens and provide basic economic and social infrastructures for socio-economic development. The high rate of poverty in Nigeria has become worrisome and embarrassing to most citizens as the country is been refer to in the international arena as “the capital of poverty'in the world. The rate keeps on rising without any appreciable efforts to tackle the effects, several interventions by successive administrations have failed to yield significant results in the country's Human Development Index (HDI) even in certain phases of economic growth. The paper therefore attempts to examine the pervasiveness of poverty within the Nigerian context and its implications. Progressive social theory was utilized as a framework of analysis which believes that the source of poverty are economic, political and social distortions as well as discrimination which limits opportunities and resources to create wealth and overcome poverty. The paper relied mainly on secondary source of information. The findings revealed that poverty is harmful to both individuals and society; the poor people have less nourishing diets; high infant and mortality rate; high underemployment and unemployment; diseases and mental illness; violent crimes; electoral violence; low participation of the poor in the electoral process and engaged in vote selling during elections, has been the implications of the pervasive nature of poverty in Nigeria. The paper therefore suggests that there is urgent need for pro-poor and bottom-top approach in tackling the menace of poverty in the country, continuity of policies and programmes with periodic changes of personnel in order to enhance programme delivery, diversification of the economy, urgent intervention in infrastructural development in both urban and rural areas and the eradication of corruption in all its ramifications.