Poverty and Conflict as the Bane of Development in Nigeria

Abstract

The question of development has been much of a critical discourse in Nigeria. This is given the fact that Nigeria has the potentials to achieve development but this has become quite elusive. The country battles with the twin challenge of poverty and conflict. With an alarming rate of poverty in the country as well as incessant cases of communal or political conflicts, this paper argues that there is a nexus between poverty and conflict and both are borne out of a feeling of frustration by the people which leads them into aggression. While maintaining that the duo are not the only cause of Nigeria’s underdevelopment, the study argued that these other factors such as leadership crises, corruption, among others are still tied to poverty and conflict. The paper concludes that the only path towards ensuring the development of the country is to tackle both to its roots.