TACKLING POVERTY: A REQUIREMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Cosmas P. Gimba

Cosmas P. Gimba

Keywords: Poverty, Social Justice, Injustice, Nigeria, Political Class, Economic Injustice, Liberation, Morality, Citizens, Government, Multi-dimensional Poverty, Common Good, Oppressed, Violence, and Solidarity

Abstract

The existence of abject poverty in Nigeria in spite of its abundant human and natural resources is challenging. This West African country has the required potentials to transform into a world economic power. In recent times, Nigeria was named world poverty headquarters and that over 133 million of its citizens are multidimensionally poor. These realities can hardly guarantee sustainable peace and development. Report from World Bank titled, “Nigeria Poverty Assessment”; and from National Bureau of Statistics entitled, “2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)”2 support the above claims. Nevertheless, all is not doom for the country. As the Chinese did in the past,3 Nigerians can equally rescue their country by tackling the current poverty situation. This article seeks from the perspective of social ethics to offer suggestions to Nigerian leaders, the elite, and ordinary citizens on how to eradicate the abject poverty which has brought untold hardship, crimes, violence, destitution, and deaths across the country.