Why Are We Poor?

It’s a well known fact that Nigeria is Africa’s most populous and “powerful” state. This is not just because of the country’s huge mineral and oil deposits but also because of the abundance of its human resources. Some school of thoughts would argue that a country that has got a large population would be unable to cater for most its citizens. This theory stems from the Malthusian camp that argues that an increase in population will out strip food production in the long run which will lead to deaths. Malthus theory remains largely unfounded and unproven till date as it has never occurred in any country. A “bloated” population is only a problem in a country where the available resources wouldn’t suffice when spread around “equitably”. This definitely is not the case in Nigeria. I’d rather contend that the root cause of poverty in our dear country is orchestrated by lots of untapped and unharnessed potentials which continues to lie fallow all around us. Nigeria is immensely endowed with oil, gas, coal, tin, iron ore. e.t.c. The irony of this whole situation is that Nigeria and its leaders have failed to translate all of these resources that abounds in our country into tangible and quantifiable gains that would lead to the betterment of the lot of the vast majority of the citizenry. However, despite these resources Nigeria has not been able to cement its place in the sub-region or continent as an economic power house and a political heavy weight.


Poverty as we all know is a global phenomenon, in the sense that there is no nation that is devoid of it. The main difference is the intensity and prevalence of this malaise. For instance, what one might consider as the height of affluence in Nigeria could be described as poverty in Europe or North America. This goes to show that poverty takes on different dimensions and forms which varies from one place to another. Another bone of contention is the definition of poverty. It’s often seen as a deprivation of income. This view has been largely espoused by international agencies such as the World Bank and the UNDP. In as much as the $1 or $1.25 a day yardstick is helpful at least in cross country comparisons; it is flawed for the following reasons: it fails to take into consideration the purchasing power parity among and between countries, It’s also wanting because it doesn’t recognize specific realities and factors that are “country specific” such as socio-cultural political dynamics that largely influences poverty in a country. To cut a long story short, Africa is often seen as a continent of the poor or one that breeds poverty but this argument is in fact baseless and goes over the top. It’s mostly fueled by the “Western” media. Asia in fact far out numbers Africa in terms of number of people living in squalor and hopelessness. Though China and India have made gains in this respect because of the economic booms in these country’s, there’s still much ground to be covered given the current global financial turmoil and hundreds of millions of people still left out wallowing in abject poverty. I think a proper definition of poverty be it in Nigeria or elsewhere is one that first and foremost sees poverty as a multi dimensional phenomenon that goes beyond the lack or inadequacy of income to include other aspects of human deprivation that is not limited to lack of access to education, health care, infrastructure (roads, electricity, water e.t.c), food, participation, human rights


What are the root causes of poverty in the Nigerian state? There are several causes of poverty most of which are intertwined with each other. I’ll enumerate and expound on just a few of these causes that continue to dwarf and thwart development in Nigeria. First, is the conflict in various regions in the country all of which have left ethnic and tribal divisions imprinted in the peoples psyche. I wouldn’t blame this solely on Nigerians as some of the blame should also be apportioned to the British as well, who by omission or commission defined the boundaries of our country by proclaiming the Northern and Southern protectorates. Historically, there have been several fierce ethnic skirmishes and uprisings which got to the climax with the secession of Biafra from Nigeria and its aftermath the civil war that lasted for three long years from 1967 to 1970. Over the years the Nigerian polity has also seen numerous “blood baths” in the country which includes the killing of Southerners (Igbos) in the North and the consequent retaliation (s) by the Southerners. In recent times, the Niger Delta region has reached a boiling point. I see the Niger Delta problem as a ticking time bomb that would explode if not addressed swiftly. One out of the plethora of reasons for the mayhem that’s plaguing the region can be traced to ethnic bickering, inequity and several years of neglect by various regimes in the country. The “Niger Deltans” believe that the leaders of the country who mostly come from the North have short changed them by expropriating the oil wealth that comes from their land to the benefit of the Northerners and utter neglect of the “Niger Deltans”. This has tremendously fueled the insurgency and arms race between the various factions within the Niger Delta and the Joint Task Force (military) that’s charged with the responsibility of rooting out the insurgency. There is no doubt about the fact that the injustices and inequities that is pervasive in the region has lead several unemployed youths to pick up arms as the only viable alternative to eke out a living. The concomitant effect is that it has led to the loss of the meager properties in the region and lives of unsuspecting and innocent civilians who have no role in the conflict. Most importantly, this has also resulted into the high spate of kidnappings that has permeated other states around the region. The sabotage of the various oil facilities in the region by the “militants” has lead to the loss of the much needed oil revenues that accrues to the government that’s used in providing basic and social services to Nigerians. This will both in the short and long run affect the government’s anti-poverty efforts since it would have to drastically reduce or stop entirely some of its programs that are geared toward poverty reduction because of lack or insufficiency of funds. Also, the money that’s used in procurement of arms for the military would make a significant difference in the lives of the “Niger Deltans” in particular and Nigerians at large if it were more efficiently and prudently used in providing social services. The government as well as the leaders of the Niger Delta must realize that violence only begets violence and the only way to find a workable and lasting solution to the problem in the region is not through the barrel of guns but by urging all the belligerents to return to the negotiating table to iron out their differences through dialogue and negotiations.

The poor state of infrastructure in the country continues to exacerbate the already troubling poverty indices of the country. Infrastructure is the bed rock and launching pad on which other development gains can take off from. In Nigeria today the sorry state of infrastructure ranges from roads filled with “pot holes” or “death traps”, the intermittent and erratic power supply to lack of potable drinking water in most households. Let’s first examine the deplorable state of roads in the country which has sent most of fellow country men and loved ones to their untimely graves. I can say without mincing words that about seventy percent of the roads in the country especially in our express ways are not pliable anymore and therefore there is an urgent need for our government to declare a state of emergency on infrastructure in Nigeria. There are many reason for this, one could be the lack of maintenance culture which runs from the bottom to the top of our society, the unavailability of funds, negative bureaucratic activities (corruption) or sheer neglect by our leaders who don’t ply these roads because they often go by air. Whatever the case is, the role of infrastructure (roads) is very important in national development because it reduces poverty by creating jobs for the citizens, it could help in jump starting our already moribund manufacturing sector by attracting more investors and entrepreneurs (both locally and internationally), it could also lead to an increase in profits especially among those involved in the agricultural sector who would find it easier to transport their farm produce from one place to another. The second is the electricity sector where the last administration has spent billions of tax payer’s money all to no avail. Access to electricity would lead to an increase in enrollment and retention rates among school children who’ll now be able to devote more to time to their studies after school hours. It might boost job opportunities among individuals and families who are in remote areas of the country since some industries that deal with raw materials especially in the agricultural sector might set up shop in rural areas. On the contrary, their might also be a downside to this as some scholars argue, electricity would lead to larger families since couples would have more time to copulate which leads to more babies. Anyway, this fact cannot be generalized as I think it is context specific and still needs to be subjected to more research and studies. The last point here is about access and provision of potable water to families. This has enormous implications as it impact could spill into the health care sector. The inadequacy and lack of water “hardware” in both rural and urban centers in the country continues to impede the country’s anti-poverty initiatives as is evident in the countless water-borne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery e.t.c that inflicts most Nigerians. The provision of accessible and potable water infrastructure in the country will considerably aid the country’s fight against poverty by improving Nigeria’s health indices, save government revenues by reducing the number of patients that seek treatment in health facilities and further channel the saved revenues towards providing a better and more equitable health service for the populace.

Most Nigerians lack the requisite skills needed to lift themselves out of poverty. What I’m saying in essence here is that “illiteracy” is one of the root causes of poverty in Nigeria. Let me digress a little bit here and cite and empirical evidence to back up my claim. We all know that after the Second World War that Japan was in ruins but was able to pick itself back up in so short a time. It was simply because of education and other factors that are debatable. Though the allied forces succeeded in destroying the infrastructure of Japan, they were able to rebuild in less than a generation largely because of the intellectual ability and know how of the Japanese people. Why can’t Nigeria do the same? For our country to achieve this lofty goal of remerging as a giant once more through its vision “2020”, it must prioritize education. At the heart of this issue lies not just the leadership of the country but the citizens as well. Most of our youths in recent times have come to cherish and value material wealth more than education. This could possibly be explained by the neglect that our educational system has suffered over the years especially under the military junta and still in our present day “democrazy”. For us to sincerely curb poverty in Nigeria today, the educational sector especially at the tertiary level needs to the revamped and overhauled. It’s very unfortunate that Nigerian graduates that were once the choice of most employers and recruiters internationally are regarded as half baked in contemporary times. No Nigerian university is on the list of the top two thousand universities in any ranking anywhere. I want to be challenged on this! Where did go amiss? It’s only when we are able to retrace our footsteps and figure out the exact spot or location where we lost it, then and only then would we be able to fix this mess that we’ve gotten ourselves into. One of the implications of this on poverty in the country is that organizations of repute continue to higher fewer and fewer Nigerians which further triggers a cascading effect on the country’s unemployment figures.

Ever since the discovery of oil in Nigeria the agricultural sector has shrinked and continues to do so. Nigeria was one of the world’s major exporters of agricultural produce such as cocoa, groundnuts and palm oil till the late 1970’s but today is a net importer of food. Nigeria is blessed with a favorable climate needed for it to attain development and reduce poverty. What we’ve seen in our country today is that the agricultural sector which used to be primary engine of growth has taken a backstage. As students of history, we must learn from history. Most developed countries today started off from the agricultural sector before gradually shifting to industrialization. Nigeria and it leaders must realize this! We cannot continue to depend on oil as our primary source of revenue as our oil wells would go dry soon. What is needed to rekindle the ailing Nigerian agricultural sector are the following: Land reforms, micro-credits, incentives e.t.c. All of these would create more jobs for Nigerians and ultimately lead to poverty reduction.

There are no easy answers or solutions to the problem of poverty that’s facing individuals, families and households in the country. The brunt of responsibility for reducing poverty in Nigeria should be borne not just by the government alone but individuals and non-state actors. Lastly, the effect and impact of any anti-poverty initiative can only be gauged depending to the extent it correctly answers the following questions affirmatively. Who are the poor? Why are they poor? Where are the poor? What are the right solutions to their problems?