NAME: OME CHUKWUMA UME

DEPT: CIVIL ENGINEERING

COURSE TITLE: ENGINEERING IN-SOCIETY
COURSE CODE: GET 611

ASSIGNMENT

TITLE: Poverty reduction and economic growth are important objectives of government. In what
ways can engineers contribute to this goal?
Key words: poverty reduction and economic growth.

INTRODUCTION:
Involvement of Engineers in Government policy and National Development affords them the
opportunity to be at these policy/decision making bodies. Engineers at these levels, use their
professional knowledge to attract and defend and execute important engineering infrastructural
development projects and play a vital role in poverty reduction . Similarly, Engineers in
Government policy and National Development contribute to the enhancement of the welfare of
other Engineers thereby motivating them to higher productivity for national economy
development. Engineering is the bedrock for development of any serious Nation. China has 15
high policy makers, 9 are Engineers. You and I know the level where China is today in terms of
world power and National Economy Development. Despite the various poverty reducation
programmes adopted by various governments in Nigeria, over 93 million Nigerians still live in
poverty, with at least three million sliding into abject poverty between November 2018 and
February 2019 (Olayinka, 2019). This is a clear indication of the ineffectiveness of these policies
and programmes, which is attributable to corruption, high level of inequality in income
distribution, low literacy rate and poor skill set, political instability, and poor leadership. It is
therefore clear that for there to be an effective reduction in the rate of poverty and economic
growth in the nation, there is a need for Engineers to play a vital role in assisting the
government by providing a platform were corruption will be adequately tackled in all
ramifications ; invest largely in quality education by increasing budgetary allocation to
education and reviewing the curricula to capture the required skill set, industrialization is not
left out. The political system should be restructured to ensure effective and stable governance
that cares for the poor and providing social amenities for them. These will increase the
population of middle-class in Nigerian, increase demand for locally made goods and services
which will in turn, boost local productivity, and ultimately increase employment.

Poverty and economic growth instability Profile in Nigeria

The description of Nigeria as a paradox by the World Bank (1996) has continued to be confirmed
by events and official statistics in the country. The paradox is that the poverty level in Nigeria
contradicts the country’s immense wealth. Among other things, the country is enormously
endowed with human, agricultural, petroleum, gas, and large untapped solid mineral resources.
Particularly worrisome is that the country earned over US$300 billion from one resource –
petroleum – during the last three decades of the twentieth century. But rather than record

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remarkable progress in national socio -economic development, Nigeria retrogressed to become
one of the 25 poorest countries at the threshold of twenty-first century whereas she was among
the richest 50 in the early-1970s. Official statistics show that in 1980 the national (average)
poverty incidence was 28.1 per of the population. The distribution of the incidence across the
states of the federation showed a maximum of 49.5 per cent recorded for Plateau (and Nassarawa
which was excised from Plateau). This meant that every state had a poverty incidence below 50
per cent. By 1985, the national (average) poverty incidence had risen to 46.3 per cent, with the
maximum of 68.9 per cent recorded in Bauchi (and Gombe which was carved out of Bauchi). As
at 1996, the national average stood at 65.6 per cent with Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara old Sokoto
State) recording the highest incidence of 83.6 per cent; followed by Bauchi and Gombe with 83.5
per cent. As at 2000, the incidence of poverty was believed to have risen to 70 per cent at the
national level. The increasing incidence of poverty, both within and among locations, was in
spite of various resources and efforts exerted on poverty-related programmes and schemes in the
country, thus suggesting that the programmes and schemes were ineffective and ineffectual. In
the light of the present government’s deep concern for the widespread and scourging poverty,
this article reviews ways on how engineers can play a vital role in poverty reduction and
economic development in Nigeria, and examines some pertinent issues on the way forward (all
Figure 1 and two below presents a graphical view of poverty in Nigeria relative to other
countries. The table shows that Nigeria has the highest rate of extreme poverty in the world,
with 86.9 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty in 2018. In India, about 72 million people
are extremely poor, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has about 61 million of her citizens
living in poverty .Within Nigeria, data from the Global Consumption and Income Project (GCIP,
2019) shows that the rate of poverty overtime has been significantly high, as seen in figure 2. In
1960, when the country gained independence, the poverty head- count ratio stood at 61% of the
total population, averaging 60% between 1960 to 1970. From 1971 to 1980, the poverty
headcount ratio dropped to an average of about 47%.Based on GCIP data, poverty headcount
peaked at 79.6% in the year 2000 and recorded its lowest level in 1997 with a headcount ration
of 44.7%. On average, between 1960 to 2015,poverty headcount in Nigeria was 61.8% of the
population. This considerable high level of poverty in Nigeria calls for policy attention in
addressing the menace due to the negative spill over effects it is having on the Nigerian society.
In recent times, based on the poverty line of $1.90 per day, 46.5% of Nigerians are extremely
poor, with the World Poverty Clock naming Nigeria, ‘the poverty capital of the world’.
According to the World Poverty Clock (2019), extreme poverty in Nigeria is increasing by
almost six persons per minute.
FIGURE1

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FIGURE 2.

Problems Associated with Poverty in Nigeria

One of the major consequences of poverty in Nigeria is mortality and in particular, infant and
maternal mortality. This is due to lack of funds required for basic care for infants as well as the
inability to provide quality healthcare service for pregnant women. Lanre-Abass (2008), Ngoma
and Mayimbo (2017) points to the fact that high rate of maternal and child mortality is as a result
of poverty, where women and children cannot access healthcare services. Data from the World
Development Indicators of the World Bank (2019) has shown that average maternal mortality
rate between 1990 and 2015 stood at 1057.8 per 100,000 live births while infant mortality rate
between 1964 and 2017 averaged 122 per 1,000 live birth. These statistics are pointers to the fact
that Nigeria has not been able to meet up with the target of the sustainable development goals of
the United Nations such as reducing under 5 mortality to as low as 25 per 1,000 live births and
maternal mortality of 70 per 100,000 live births. Poverty is also a major factor that is
significantly affecting education in Nigeria. Report from the United Nations International
Children Emergency Fund shows that about 10.5 million of the country’s children aged 5-14
years are not in school. In Northern Nigeria, the picture is more severe, with only 53% net
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attendance. Invariably, poverty has been observed to be a major factor leading to a low rate of
school enrolment in Nigeria. Also, poverty may increase the likelihood of criminal activities.
Adekoya and Abdul-Razak (2016) observe a long-run relationship between crime and poverty in
Nigeria. When people don’t have enough income to meet the basic necessities of life, there is
always high probability that they will seek alternative means of survival, which in most cases is
crime.

Root Causes of Poverty and economic growth setback in Nigeria

(i) Lack of education is one of the significant causes
of poverty in Nigeria. The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal
Education revealed that more than 38% of Nigerians are illiterates. The inability to function in
society due to the absence of knowledge and skill set leads to poverty. Empirical studies such as
Adekoya (2018) and Ewubare and Mark (2018) have revealed the implications of human
resource underdevelopment to poverty in Nigeria.
(i
i) Corruption is also a major cause of poverty in Nigeria. According to Transparency
International, Nigeria is ranked the 144th least corrupt nation in the world, out of 180 countries.
This portrays the high level of corruption in the country. Corruption undermines the rule of law
and threatens socio-economic development. It as well increases poverty by retarding investment
and employment opportunities. It reduces revenue from tax as well as the effectiveness of
government intervention programs. According to Ajisafe (2016), corruption diverts government
spending away from socially valuable goods such as education and health.
(iii) The unstable political environment can also be observed to be a root cause of poverty in
Nigeria. Political instability hurts economic growth, which precipitates poverty. A clear example
is the Northern Nigeria crises where the war against Boko Haram has destroyed the economy of
North-east Nigeria destroying the livelihood of citizens leading to poverty. Also, the rampaging
Fulani-Herdsmen menace has destroyed farmlands, leaving people of mostly North-central
Nigeria without a livelihood, a situation that has resulted in poverty

Engineering Contributions in poverty reduction and Economic Growth

There are various ways Engineers can contribute in helping reduce the level of poverty and
bring about economic growth in the various sectors found in the Nigeria Economy.However,
each of these measures require a holistic approach.This sectors include
education,agriculture,health, housing,financial etc.

CONTRIBUTION OF ENGINEERS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR

One of the major steps in reducing poverty in Nigeria is through education. For the education
system to flourish well in the country a good learning and conducive environment needs to be
provided and also qualified and educated staff needs to be recruited as well.In this area if
Engineers either a Civil, Mechanical , Electrical and Computer etc align with the government
will plays a vital role. The Civil Engineer should take the responsibility of Training designing
and constructing a suitable classroom environment , the mechanical Engineers is to Train ,
manufacture Quality chairs ,tables, School buses, and carry out other Mechanical installations
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e.tc .The electrical Engineer should take the responsibility of Training, wiring and lighting
systems of the School premises and make other electrical installations .The computer Engineer
comes in with the ICT networking for internet connection to boost and give rise to research and
Electronic informations. Quality education can provide a lasting solution to poverty in Nigeria.
Omoniyi (2013) reveals that quality education improves economic efficiency by expanding
labour force value and efficiency, and subsequently moving people out of poverty. According to
UNICEF, one in every five out-of-school children in the world is in Nigeria, with the situation
looking more severe in Northern Nigeria. This invariably creates the poverty problem due to lack
of human capital development. In 2015, adult literacy rate was about 40% of the total
population.With the above listed if Engineers teams and make there necessary contribution the
Education system of the country will drastically improve.

CONTRIBUTION OF ENGINEERS IN THE AGRICULTRAL SECTOR

The Agriculture Development Programmes; the National Agricultural Land Development

Authority, the Strategic grains Reserves Programme. The Programme for Accelerated Wheat
Production, as well as the development of artisanal fishery, small ruminant production, pasture
and grazing reserves. These programmes promote utilization of land resources through
subsidized land development, supply of farm inputs and services and credit extension to farmers,
and institutional support for produce marketing cooperatives. These programmes highlighted
above can not be achieved if Engineers do not play a vital role by manufacturing mechanized
tools like tractors, designed and constructed accessible roads and an enabling environment with
good market infrastructure, speed boats and fishing equipment that can enhance increase in
production of which will help to facilitate the actualization of this programs instituted by the
government.
CONTRIBUTION OF ENGINEERS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR

The primary Health Care Scheme, which aims at providing at least one health center in every
local government; and the Guinea-worm Eradication Programme, launched in 1988 with
assistance of donor agencies including UNICEF, which supports health interventions to control
diarrhea diseases, eradicate guinea-worm, and promote changes in knowledge, attitudes and
practices relating to water use, excreta disposal and general hygiene. The effectiveness of the
PHC programme was hampered by inadequate funding from the LGAs, and lack of equipment,
essential drugs, and trained manpower. The Guinea-worm Eradication Programme succeeded in
reducing the number of reported guinea-worm cases from 650,000 in 1988 to 222,000 by the end
of 1992.The Engineers can contribute immensely either Mechanical ,Civil, Electrical, Computer
by manufacturing health care equipment or facilities ambient health care environment properly
designed and constructed, as well providing computerized equipment for carrying out health
related test so as to help the medical field to provide health care services.

CONTRIBUTION OF ENGINEERS IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR

The Federal Urban Mass Transit Program was established in 1988 to rescue the public transport
system from imminent collapse. New buses were put into public service and loan schemes
helped cooperatives and private operators acquire transport vehicles. However, the demand for
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public transportation in many urban areas continues to outstrip supply .The automobile Engineer
is charged with the responsibility of training, designing , manufacturing and maintaining
automobile cars ,vehicles ,train e.tc that are used for transit that conveys the movement of good
and services to the required destinations , the civil Engineer is not left roads ,airports,sea ports
train stations must be properly designed constructed and maintained from time to time the
electrical Engineers helps in the wiring of the street lights as welletc.So with this the Engineering
field has a major role to play.
CONTRIBUTION OF ENGINEERS IN THE HOUSING SECTOR

A Sites and Services Scheme commenced in 1987 to increase the supply of land for
residential development by all income groups. The programme consists of site clearance,
construction of concrete drains and culverts, etc. However, shortage of funds resulted in non-
payment of compensation to former owners of assets in the acquired areas, and non-development
of essential infrastructure such as access roads, water, power supply, e.t.c. The Civil Engineer is
charged with the responsibility of designing constructing and maintaining Building,bridges,
Tunnels, culverts, airports runways e.tc and as well help in town planning of cities ensure a
convient environment without congestions that may lead to pollution and accidents
.
CONTRIBUTION OF ENGINEERS IN THE FINANCIAL SECTOR
These include a few initiatives begun in 1989/90: the National Economic Reconstruction
Fund which provide long-term loans at concessionary interest rates to promote small and
medium scale industrial projects; the People’s Bank of Nigeria which extends credit to the poor
who could not have access to the credit facilities available in the commercial and merchant
banks; and the Community Banking Scheme which provides credit to small scale producers on
their own personal recognition. For the functionality of the above scheme the engineering field
plays a vital role in providing a convinent banking industry Equipment like ATM,
POS,Computer System,phone accessories, CCTV cameras etc are manufactured by Engineers,
looking at these Engineers really need to involved to ensure these sector functions well.

CONTRIBUTION OF ENGINEERS IN THE BUSINESS AND MANUFACTURING

SECTOR

This includes a Small-Scale Enterprises Programme. This is designed to promote the

growth of small-scale enterprises in Nigeria. The programme involves government promotion of
small-scale industries through easier access to bank credit, artisan technology and the provision
of appropriate infrastructural facilities .For the above mentioned programme by the government
to be successful the engineering field needs to invent equipment that can facilitate production for
example textile machine, polybag machine, packaging equipment for goods, social amenities,
good marketing infrastructure etc, training staffs on how to operate this equipment and as well
maintaining these equipment.

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CONCLUSION

The Embarassing paradox of poverty and economic instability in Nigeria suggests the
compelling need for a single -minded pursuit of the objective of poverty reduction and economic
development and its eventual acceleration. To this end, there is the need for Engineers to align
with the government on an agreed poverty reduction and Economic growth agenda that can be
used by all stakeholders – Federal Government, State Government, Local Governments, NGOs
and the International Donor Community and Society at large. There is also the need for strong
political commitment to the poverty reduction goal, as well as a implementation of poverty
reduction programmes and projects. Very importantly, in order to make a meaningful dent on
poverty it is crucial for Engineers to team up and assist the government on the measures to be
implemented within the framework of rapid broad-based economic growth with equity,
industralization, sound economic management and good infrastructures, among others. Finally, it
is important that Engineers give expression to poverty reduction objectives in national
development plans with the strategies and measures integrated into the country’s overall
development/policy management framework.

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 REFERENCES
Abdullahi, M. Yahoo (1993) The Design and Management of poverty Alleviation
projects in Africa. Washington, D. C.: Economic Development Institute of the World Bank. Aliu,
A. (2001), National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP): Completion, Implementation,
Coordination and Monitoring, NAPEP Secretariat, Abuja, April. Besley, Timothy (1996),
“Political Economy of Alleviating Poverty: Theory and Institutions”, in M. Bruno and B.
Pleskovic (eds), proceedings of the Annual World Bank Conference on Development
Economics, The World
Bank Washington, D.C. Central Bank of Nigeria, Research Department (1999) Nigeria’s
development Prospects: Poverty Assessment and Alleviation Study (Abuja: CBN). Fajingbesi,
A.A. and E.O. Uga (2001a), “Plans, Programmes and Poverty Alleviation Strategies in Nigeria”,
in Integration of poverty Alleviation Strategies into plans and programmes in Nigeria, NCEMA,
Ibadan.
FRN (2001), National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP): A Blueprint for the Schemes,
NAPEP Secretariat, Abuja, June. NCEMA (1995), Integration of Poverty Alleviation Strategies
into Plans and Programmes of Nigeria, Report of a National Workshop, Kaduna and Ibadan,
November – December.

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