An Appraisal of Poverty Alleviation among the Rural Population in Nigeria, 1978 – 2010

Abstract

Poverty is a virulent challenge to humanity because of its multi-faceted dimensions and impact on people. Among the developing nations especially, it stands defiantly tall, denying people several necessities of human life and development such as access to medical care, food, shelter, clean environment, a decent standard of living and significant contributions to human development. In Nigeria, the devastating impact of poverty is palpable everywhere and most endemic among the rural dwellers, the food producers of the nation. The scourge is a perpetual reminder that the ruling class has failed to execute its social contract with the governed. As a result of the vexing and soaring tide of poverty, successive governments over the years have adopted some measures to reduce poverty among the citizenry. This paper reviews Nigeria’s poverty alleviation approaches from the inauguration of “Operation Feed the Nation” (OFN) in 1978 and up to 2010.  It examines the causes of the deepening poverty among the rural dwellers in spite of governments’ efforts at poverty reduction; it identifies, among other causes, lack of political will and sincerity on the part of government, poor governance, misplaced priorities, and the inability of policy makers to include the beneficiaries in the planning, as some of the reasons for the failure of the programmes. The paper suggested, among others, that there should be a concerted, well-focused, sincere, and transparent approach by all the stakeholders in their efforts to eradicate poverty in Nigeria.