Eradication of Poverty in Nigeria: Challenges and Strategies

Running Head: Eradication of Poverty in Nigeria 1
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Eradication of Poverty in Nigeria
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Eradication of Poverty in Nigeria 2
Eradication of Poverty in Nigeria
"Poverty is a state of lack of materials or want. The lack of or possessing little wealth and
in possession of low-quality assets like clothing, shelter or personal means of transport. It also
includes no or poor access to services" (Mader, 2015). Nigeria is among the countries that
experience extreme poverty despite the fact that the country has a lot of natural resources such as
oil. . Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 in Nigeria plans to achieve on ending poverty
through related strategies to all the people in the world. The approaches involve providing good
employment, the access of safe and sustainable water, proper hygiene, proper sustenance and
essential health services for the poor. (Griggs et al., 2013). However, Nigeria is unlikely to
achieve SDG1 target 1 due to increased political instability and terrorism.
The eradication of poverty is one of the most difficult challenges that face a developing
countries. This is because the poor population covers the majority inhabitants (Griggs et al.,
2013.) Nigeria is a sub-Saharan African country in which half of its people live in extreme
poverty. There is proof that indicates Nigeria has an increased number of poverty numbers in
Nigeria (Maigida, Saba & Namkere, 2013). Furthermore, due to the armed conflicts that occurred
in 2014, more than 42,000 people in Nigeria were enforced to leave their homes in search of
protection (Deribe, Negussu, Bosco & Davey 2018). A large proportion of the Nigerian society
has been consumed by an enormous, and persistent poverty which has led to starvation,
illiteracy, famine, infection, joblessness and low life expectancy (Gberevbie, 2014).

Eradication of Poverty in Nigeria 3
The impact of poverty on health in Nigeria
In Nigeria, the connection between poverty and health care forms a large sequence or
cycle. This occurs where ill-health is caused poverty while it sustains poverty. It is because
individuals in well-developed countries have better access to health care services than
individuals in developing countries (Idris & Agbim, 2015). An individual's health gets worse
when health care services are deferred or not easily acquired. This, in turn, leads to income loss
and an increase in health care which later contributes to poverty. Individuals are unable to obtain
health services and have a high risk of diseases due to lack of material possession and the level
of income (Levesque, Harris & Russell, 2013). Moreover, health status strongly supports both
human development and poverty. Results from a survey discovered that approximately 8.0
percent of the population consulted health care providers due to the illiteracy, reduced services,
and increased prices (Awojobi, 2014).
Factors that influenced the likelihood of Nigeria not achieving SDG 1
Historical factors
Nigeria has experienced several types of disasters such as plane crashes, fire explosions,
flooding, oil pipeline vandalization, road accidents, and building collapsion. The main human
factors that have led to poverty in Nigeria are pipeline vandalization, conflict, and poor
governance (Okoli & Orinya, 2013).