Tackling Rural Poverty in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges

The description of poverty varies over time and clime. However, every society recognizes and describes it in relation to its socio-economic circumstances. As a universally recognized social problem, poverty has attracted many action packages across the globe. Nigeria, like many other countries, has enunciated and indeed, operated several policies aimed either directly or indirectly at eradicating or reducing poverty to its lowest level. Poverty alleviation strategies in Nigeria span various spheres in the economy. However, the strategies aimed at mitigating rural poverty have been most prominent in Nigeria. Recognizing that the root of poverty is in the soil of the economy, most of the rural poverty alleviation strategies were aimed at improving the economy, especially in the area of agricultural production in the rural areas. This paper critically evaluates the rural poverty alleviation strategies in Nigeria for more than two decades alongside the objectives, performances and problems of these strategies. The paper also suggests pithy ways of avoiding noticeable pitfalls in these strategies.