ALIENATION AND POVERTY IN NIGERIA: A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

One of the most pathetic features of the Nigerian economy today is that a majority of its populace is living in a state of destitution while the remaining relatively insignificant minority is living in affluence. These skewed economic relations do not reflect the geographical spread of resource endowment in Nigeria. Over the years, various administrations have undertaken different economic policies and programmes with the aim of reducing, if not totally eradicating, poverty in Nigeria. These programmes were expected to at least raise the standard of living of Nigerians yet many are still economically alienated. Either these programmes are the causes of poverty themselves or that their implementations have the tendency of engendering poverty and widening economic inequality in Nigeria. This paper therefore investigated economic alienation and poverty in Nigeria with focus on Buhari’s administration economic policies. The objective is to determine how government policies have alienated the people and orchestrated poverty in Nigeria. This paper is qualitative in nature and adopted explanatory research design. Among other theories of alienation and poverty, Capability Deprivation Theory served as the theoretical framework of analysis. This paper argues that Buhari’s administration has compounded the nation’s economic problems by pursuing economic policies that have triggered inflation, rise in PMS pump price, and hike in electric tariff in addition to already existing stagnation, thereby engendering poverty in the land. Many of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan projections for 2019 were never met. Among others, the study recommends that the federal government should adopt economic policies that are attainable, inclusive and sustainable, especially while formulating poverty alleviation programmes. This means embracing democratic governance that is sincere, accountable, practicable and inclusive in nature, as this will lead to a proper functioning of the institutions of governance and bring about equitable distribution of wealth and income. Economic policies of government should also be examined and measured from their inclusiveness and sustainability.