The Challenge of Multi-Dimensional Poverty in A Post-Covid Nigeria: Any Panacea?

Abstract

This work titled The Challenges of Multi-dimensional Poverty in a Post-Covid Nigeria: Any Panacea investigates the nature, causes and effects of extreme poverty in Nigeria today. Poverty is a state of lack of basic necessities for a meaningful life and existence. Poverty is a glaring phenomenon in the Nigerian society and the indices abound; corruption, hunger and malnutrition, lack of opportunities, high unemployment rate, health complications, and high number of out of school children, street begging etc. The existence of abject poverty is an assault on human dignity and disrupts the peaceful coexistence of the nation. The available data and research materials have shown that there is increase in poverty ration in Nigeria since the 2019/2020 Covid pandemic. A hermeneutic method was employed for data analysis and interpretation. The findings reveal that abject poverty in Nigeria is as a result of unethical attitude of bad governance and incompetency of the ruling class. These result to non provision of the basic amenities such as good education, good healthcare and employment opportunities. In addition, there is non-congenial atmosphere seen in neglect and absence of critical infrastructure in the areas of transportation and agriculture, giving rise to food insecurity. The work is very significant as it exposes and tackles the root cause. This therefore, will help the people especially the policy makers and implementers to tackle the scourge. It also contributes to the body of knowledge by bringing in the perspective of the ‘why’ of poverty also in Nigeria, a country endowed with rich human and natural resources and offering a globally systematic way out of poverty.