Household Composition and Anti-Poverty Programmes on Welfare in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The global fight on poverty has been consistently defeated at the sub-Sahara African front, as this social menace strengths its grips in the region. In Nigeria, the issue of poverty is widely discussed and new policy strands articulated from a broader perspective are cropping up in order to put the soaring rise in poverty incidence in check. This renewed interest on the topic stems from the fact that policy formulators have taken into cognizance that poverty is a multi-dimension concept that requires a well-articulated and multi-dimension strategy. A strategy that transcends beyond nominal proclamation or budgetary allocation to combating poverty to a strategy that tackles poverty in its context and root causes. Adopting an ANCOVA-regression model on primary survey data obtained from two socio-cultural and economic distinct rural communities in Eastern and Northern Nigeria, this paper examines the impact of household composition and anti-poverty programmes on household welfare. The results got from the decomposed regression model show that the impact of household composition on welfare is contingent on the underlying geographical, socio-cultural and economic characteristics of the area. Also, ownership of productively viable assets helps in explaining how household size affects household welfare. Moreover, the impact of anti-poverty programmes was found to yield significant result at Ikeje study area because these programmes are targeted towards the major livelihood engagement (agriculture) of the people. While anti-poverty programmes could not achieve same significant results at Anaocha study area due to its inability to take into cognizance the different livelihood engagements of the people. The policy implication it engenders is that anti-poverty policy should recognize area specifics, thus allowing for proper integration of the poor in the policy formulation and implementation. Policy should be aimed at both agricultural and non-agricultural activities.

Key words: Household Composition, Poverty Alleviation Programmes, Ikeje, Anaocha, ANCOVA