Tackling the Wicked Problem of Poverty in Nigeria: Strategies for State Governments

Abstract

Poverty incidence, a wicked problem in Nigeria, has been a source of worry to major stakeholders, especially the government and the masses. Having practically taken over the powers of local governments, the state governments are next in rank in terms of closeness to the grassroots. The objectives of the paper are to examine the measurement and profile of poverty in Nigeria, identify the causes and consequences of poverty, and suggest some pragmatic poverty alleviation strategies for state governments in Nigeria. The paper identifies the causes of poverty to include underdevelopment, inequality, increasing unemployment, teeming population, corruption, mono-cultural economy, laziness and poor education system. It also pinpoints the spate of armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, internet fraud, terrorism and other forms of fraudulent activities as consequences of poverty in Nigeria. The paper suggests poverty alleviation strategies which include: inclusive growth, human capital development, provision of basic social services, result-oriented integrated rural development, public works and sustainable livelihood. However, to achieve optimal results, the paper emphasizes a combination of these strategies, and recommends that state governments must: demonstrate political will, be gender-sensitive and ensure professional management of poverty alleviation schemes as goal-oriented programmes in order to fast-track sustainable development in Nigeria.

Keywords: Poverty, Wicked Problem, Causes, Consequences, Strategies.