PREFACE
Chapter one deals with the
introduction, Rational for the study, Aims and objectives of the study,
Research hypothesis, significance of study, Definition of terms, and scope of
study.
Chapter two deals with the Literature
Review of the area of investigation.
Chapter three deals with the Research
Methodology.
Chapter four deals with the Data
Presentation.
Chapter five deals with the Summary
of findings, Conclusion and Recommendation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
CERTIFICATION i
DEDICATION ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii
PREFACE
INDEX OF TABLES AND GRAPHS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1
1.2 RATIONAL FOR THE STUDY 4
1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE
STUDY 4
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY 6
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 7
1.6 HYPOTHESIS OF STUDY 7
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS 8
1.8 SCOPE OF STUDY 13
CHAPTER
TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 14
2.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF
STUDY AREA 14
2.2 THE PROFILE OF POVERTY AS A
DISEASE IN THE SOUTHSOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA 15
2.3 THE CAUSES OF POVERTY AS A
DISEASE IN THE SOUTHSOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA 25
2.4 THE ALLEVIATION OF POVERTY
AS A DISEASE IN THE SOUTHSOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA 27
2.5 THE CONSTRAINTS TO THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES IN THE SOUTHSOUTH GEOPOLITICAL
ZONE OF NIGERIA 33
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 36
3.1 POPULATION AND SAMPLE 36
3.2 TARGET POPULATION 37
3.3 DATA COLLECTION METHOD 37
3.4 SOURCE OF DATA 38
3.5 METHOD OF ANALYSIS OF DATA 38
3.6 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED ON THE
FIELD OF
STUDY 39
CHAPTER
FOUR
4.0 DATA PRESENTATION 40
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS 50
5.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 50
5.2 CONCLUSION 51
5.3 RECOMMENDATION 52
REFERENCES 53
INDEX OF TABLES AND GRAPHS
TABLES
1.1 NATIONAL POVERTY LEVEL,
1980-2004, IN PERCENTAGES.
1.2 POVERTY INCIDENCE BY
GEOPOLITICAL ZONES IN NIGERIA
FOR (1996 AND 2004); IN PERCENTAGES.
1.3 POVERTY INCIDENCE
CATEGORIZED SECTOR, AND ZONE FOR THE YEAR 2004; IN PERCENTAGES.
1.4 SPREAD AND TREND IN POVERTY
LEVELS, IN THE SOUTHSOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA, 1980-2004; IN
PERCENTAGES.
1.5 PERCENTAGES OF POVERTY
HEADCOUNTS BY STATES, SECTOR AND GENDER, 1996/1997 IN PERCENTAGES
1.6 DISTRIBUTION OF STATES BY
POVERTY HEADCOUNT, USING SELF-RELATED LINES, 2004; IN PERCENTAGES.
GRAPHS
1.7 NATIONAL POVERTY LEVEL,
1980-2004; IN PERCENTAGES
1.8 POVERTY INCIDENCE BY
GEOPOLITICAL ZONES IN NIGERIA
FOR (1996 AND 2004); IN PERCENTAGES.
1.9 POVERTY INCIDENCE
CATEGORIZED SECTOR, AND ZONE FOR THE YEAR 2004; IN PERCENTAGES
1.10 SPREAD AND TREND IN POVERTY
LEVELS, IN THE SOUTH SOUTH GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA, 1980-2004; IN
PERCENTAGES.
1.11 PERCENTAGES OF POVERTY
HEADCOUNTS BY STATS, SECTOR, GENDER, 1996/1997
1.12 DISTRIBUTION OF STATES BY
POVERTY HEADCOUNT, USING SELF-RELATED LINES, 2004; IN PERCENTAGES.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
The statistical analysis of
poverty as a disease in Nigeria
is a project of interest that is relevant to be discussed, checked, and if
possible enhance the complete eradication of poverty in a society like Nigeria. The
level of poverty in Nigeria
has been massive, pervasive, and chronic, engulfing a large proportion of the
society.
According to the Federal
Office of statistics [Socio-Economic profile of Nigeria (1996], which stated that
though, the concern about poverty in Nigeria has been very tremendous,
but there is yet to be a significant and positive change in the socio-economic
development of Nigeria.
Resulting from large scale
poverty, human conditions have greatly deteriorated, real disposable incomes
have dwindled, while malnutrition rates are on the increase in Nigeria.
Resulting from the rate of population growth which has outstripped the rate of
food production and the rate of increase in the social services, the quality of
nutrition as well as of educational and health services has deteriorated a
great deal.
The concern for poverty is
therefore two dimensional. Overtime, a sizeable reduction in poverty is
important, both in its own right, and as a first step to providing the means
for the self-improvement of the most disadvantaged group in the society. If this
task can be attained, there is a tendency of reducing by half, between 1992 and
2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day.
(Source: Federal office of
statistics (2005); Poverty profile for Nigeria, March 2005).
The policies most likely to
achieve these objectives are those that stimulate growth and employment, and in
doing so, provide incomes for the poor, and use some of the resources generated
to make adequate social provisions for the people who cannot benefit directly from
rising incomes.
However, according to Ahmad
and Hemming (1991), the macro economic stabilization and structural adjustment
policies that are necessary for growth may have adverse effect on the poor
people in the short run. To avoid further impoverishment of the majority of the
population, therefore, there is need to put in place policies that will protect
the poor from the immediate consequences of adjustment.
As such, policies and
programmes aimed at poverty reduction need to address basic issues about the
nature and magnitude of poverty as a disease in Nigeria. But, since I will be using
the southsouth geopolitical zone of Nigeria as my case study, it will be most
appropriate to premise the discussion of the project on the zone.
Regardless of the fact that
the southsouth geopolitical zone of Nigeria is an oil producing zone and serves
as a source of wealth to Nigeria, the
level of poverty in the zone is still as alarming as it is in the other zones
of the country. Though, being the second zone with the lowest poverty incidence
with 58.2% in 1996, and 35.1% in 2004, poverty as a disease is still evident,
and endemic in the zone, particularly in the rural areas of the zone, and, this
is often due to the mismanagement of the zone’s share of allocated revenue from
the Federal Government’s Revenue by the leaders in charge of the affairs of the
southsouth geopolitical zone.
1.2 RATIONAL FOR THE STUDY
One of the rational for this
project is to know the level of poverty, and to address the issues of poverty
as they relate to the human, ad socioeconomic development in the southsouth
geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
Another rational for the
study is to assess the existing poverty programmes in the southsouth zone of
Nigeria with a view to suggesting improvements. Examples of such programmes
are:
National poverty Eradication
Programme (NAPEP); National Economic Empowerment, and Development Strategy
(NEEDS); Small, and Medium Scale Investment Equity Insurance Scheme (SMIEIS);
among others.
1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE
STUDY
One of the aims and
objectives of the study is to reduce by half, between 1992 and 2015, the
proportion of people in the zone whose income is less than one dollar a day.
This aim can only be achieved through the creation of employment opportunities,
income generating programmes, and skill acquisition programmes by the
Government, inorder to improve the living conditions of the people.
Another aim and objective of
the study is to improve the health services standard in the zone, inorder to
reduce: the spread of diseases, and the death rate, and consequently, increase
the life expectancy of the people in the zone.
This task can only be
achieved through the provision of well-equipped social infrastructure interms
of health facilities in strategic areas throughout the zone, as well as
ensuring that drugs, and treatment are readily available, and affordable for
the poor masses in the zone.
Another aims and objective
of the study is to improve the Educational Standard in the zone, inorder to
reduce the level of illiteracy; and consequently, increase the level of
literacy among the people in the southsouth geopolitical zone of Nigeria. This
task can be achieved by the Government through the provision of social
infrastructures like schools for all ages, which would as well be well-equipped
with the appropriate facilities and trained personnels (teachers) that will be
in charge.
Above all, the aims and
objectives that is the most paramount is the provision of the basic necessities
of life by the Government. These basic necessities include items such as: food,
clothing, shelter, transportation, social amenities like pipeborne water, good
roads, Health and Education services, among others, in order to improve the
poor standard of living of the people. All these mentioned aims and objectives
can be achieved by the Government through the formulation of certain programmes
and policies that would stimulate growth, employment, skill acquisition, and
income generating opportunities, among others.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE
OF STUDY
The significance of the
study: The statistical analysis of poverty as a disease in Nigeria (a case
study of the southsouth geopolitical
zone of Nigeria) is a project that will be able to investigate, and analyse how
pervasive, and chronic poverty is in Nigeria, and particularly, in the
southsouth geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
It will also be able to
investigate the causes of poverty as a disease in Nigeria and the remedial actions
that could be taken to be able to reduce or eradicate poverty in the country.
The findings from this
investigation will also enable the Government to formulate suitable policies
and programmes that would address the issues of poverty and how they relate to
the human, and socioeconomic development. This would consequently, provide a
meaningful and at least average standard of living for the masses, especially
the poor masses in the southsouth zone, and in the country as a whole.
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Research hypothesis is
defined as a conjecture or supposition that motivates a research. Hence, the
research hypothesis of this project are listed in the next subchapter.
1.6 HYPOTHESIS OF STUDY
The general hypothesis for
this project are the issues of poverty and reasons surrounding the situation of
poverty as a disease which has engulfed every strata of the Nigerian society
over the years. For the purpose of this project the following areas which
address the issues of poverty as they relate to human development will be
critically examined in the course of the research.
a)
Poverty
b)
Absolute poverty
c)
Relative poverty
d)
Poverty line
e)
Measures of poverty
f)
Socioeconomic indicators
g)
Disease
h)
Statistical analysis
i)
Statistical analysis of poverty as a disease.
j)
Causes of poverty
k)
Poverty alleviation programmes j
l)
Constraints to the effectiveness of poverty alleviation
programmes.
1.13 DEFINITION OF TERMS
a) POVERTY:
According to the
Nigeria Millennium Development Goals (2005 report). This is defined as a
situation that is essentially about human deprivation. Hence, it is about lack
or limited access to essential capabilities that could facilitate a long and
healthy life, becoming more knowledgeable, maintaining an adequate standard of
living, and participating meaningfully in decisions that affects one’s life.
b)
ABSOLUTE POVERTY:
This is defined
as the lack of resources to consume certain bundle of goods and services. Such
a bundle of goods and services may contain what could be considered an
objective minimum which include the basic necessities of life such as food,
shelter, clothing, among others (Source: Federal Office of Statistics (FOS):
[Socioeconomic profile of Nigeria (1996].
c)
RELATIVE POVERTY:
According to the
Federal Office of statistics: [Socioeconomic profile of Nigeria
(1996)], this is defined with respect to living standards that prevail in a
particular society. Hence an advantage of relative poverty line is that it
reflects changing perception of acceptable minimum living standards. Thus,
while electricity, pipe borne water, indoor sanitation, are considered
essential in very rich societies, they may not be so in poorer ones.
d)
POVERTY LINE:
According to the
Federal Office of statistics: [Socioeconomic profile of Nigeria.
(1996)], Poverty line is defined as a proportion usually fifty percent (50%) of
average income.
e)
MEASURES OF POVERTY:
As it is defined
by the Federal Office of statistics: [socioeconomic profile of Nigeria.
(1996)], this is the measure by which poverty levels in a society can be
quantified and classified. There are basically two common measures of poverty
and they are headcount ratio and poverty gap respectively.
i.
HEADCOUNT RATIO: According to Baridhan
(1973), and Ahluwalia (1976), this is defined as the ratio of individuals or
households whose income fall below the poverty line.
ii.
POVERTY GAP: This is a traditional
measure of poverty which measures the average deviation of the incomes of the
poor from the poverty line.
f)
SOCIOECONOMIC
INDICATORS
These are
defined as what is said to constitute the means or measure or pointer for
assessing an event, be it social, economic or demography. There are mainly two types
of socioeconomic indicators, and they are social indicators and economic
indicators.
i.
SOCIAL INDICATORS: Are defined as a construct
based on observations and usually quantitative ones, that tells something about
aspects of social life of interest or about changes taking place in that aspect
of social life. Examples are: Qualitative education, proper medical care, Good
an convenient standard of living, among others.
ii.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS: Are defined as derived
quantities obtained in respect of economic statistics.
g)
DISEASE:
Is defined as an
unhealthy condition of the “mind or body” the words in quotes could be the
social or economic conditions of a society.
h)
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:
Is defined as
the scientific study, collection, compilation, analysis, presentation and
graphical representation of a given set of data.
i)
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF
POVERTY AS A DISEASE:
This is defined
as the statistical analysis of the measures of human deprivation that has as a
disease engulfed the socioeconomic system, of a society, and as a result has
hindered human development and socioeconomic development of the society.
j)
CAUSES OF POVERTY:
This is defined
as the socioeconomic vices in a society, that causes or leads to lack of, or
inadequate access to the basic necessities of life to an individual, or in a
household or a society as a whole.
k)
POVERTY ALLEVIATION
PROGRAMMES:
According to the
Nigeria Millennium Development Goals (2005 report) this is defined as
programmes that have been formulated with certain policies backing them by the
Government, inorder to reduce the level of poverty or completely eradicate
poverty in a society like Nigeria. Examples of such programmes are: National
Poverty Eradication programme (NAPEP), National economic empowerment, and
development strategy (NEEDS), small and medium scale investment equity
insurance scheme (SMIEIS), among others.
l)
CONSTRAINTS TO THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES:
These are
defined as certain factors that were not checked thoroughly by the Government
before the formulation of the policies and programmes of some of the poverty
alleviation programmes. This as a result has caused the ineffectiveness, and
inefficiency of the poverty alleviation programmes. Examples of such factors
include: poor coordination of programmes, lack of consistent policy in
governance, failure to involve the beneficiaries at both the conception and
implementation stages of the programmes, among others.
1.14 SCOPE OF STUDY
The scope involved in this
study included laborious ones like the conducting of census on a target
population, for example: the core poor, moderately poor, and the Non-poor and
the administering of questionnaires to collect microhousehold data as related
to poverty levels in the zone, and the use of suitable statistical techniques
for analyzing the collected data, by scholarly statisticians, inorder to
provide reliable results that are valid and objective in nature.
Another scope involved,
included the research made from books that highlighted instances of poverty in
certain areas of the zone.
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