Political Economy of Poverty and Poverty Alleviation Programmes in Nigeria, 1999-2009

This paper examined the political economy of poverty and poverty eradication programmes in Nigeria between 1999 and 2009. The writer x-rayed the various poverty eradication programmes in Nigeria to determine whether they have improved the living standard of Nigerians in the period under study. This paper concluded among other things that the incidence of poverty continues to be rife in Nigeria; also the various poverty eradication programmes were poorly articulated and haphazardly implemented. Again, these seeming pro-poor programmes were formulated and implemented without involvement of the poor in the process. Hence, the poverty of poverty eradication programmes in Nigeria reflects in the inability of the programmes to improve the living standard of Nigerians. This paper recommends an overhaul of the various poverty alleviation programmes in Nigeria with a view of integrating the poor in the process of formulation and implementation of the programmes in order to improve the living standard of Nigerians.