ABIODUN TOLULOPE ELIZABETH

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

PROPOSED TITLE

THE CAUSES AND EFFECT OF POVERTY AMONG RURAL

DWEELERS IN WESTERN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF

ISEYIN TOWN
 Abstract

This study, the causes and effect of poverty among rural dwellers in

Iseyin town, south western Nigeria, will examine the incidence of

poverty in Nigeria, the causes and effect of poverty among the study

group as well as the challenges of the poverty reduction in Nigeria,

among others.

Data will be sourced from both primary and secondary information.

Primary data will be carried out with the use of well-structured

questionnaire. The data will be collected and analyzed using descriptive

statistics.

Findings of this study will show that the causes of poverty are

unemployment, and ill-health, corruption was identified as the major

challenges faced in reduction of poverty, and the strategies for

eradicating poverty is job opportunities to the community by good

governance.
 This study will conclude that to alleviate poverty in rural areas,

government should provide employment into the masses.

INTRODUNCTION
The rising of poverty in Nigeria is assuming a worrisome dimension as
empirical studies have shown Nigeria a sub-Saharan African country has
at least half of its population livings in abject poverty (OJO 2008).
Similarly the publication of the federal office of statistics (1996)
reveals that poverty has been massive, pervasive and engulfs a large
proportion of the Nigeria society. Poverty for a long time has been a
major contenting force against the peace of development in Nigeria
especially the rural areas. It has remained persistently unabated despite
many unnamable program designed to alleviate it. Thus poverty has
become a major concern for development expert and international
agencies.
This level and incidence of poverty have been on the increase since
the implementation the structural adjustment program (SAP) in 19805.
Reports from UNDP(2008), federal office of statistics(2001) and world
Bank (ZOO1) showed that the incidence of poverty rose from 28.1% to
1980 to 93.6 in 1985 an by 1996 it rose to 65. As far back as 1990s the
UNDP Human Development Report describe Nigeria as a rich country
and with the poor population and also as the rest and most deprived
OPECV country ranked low n human development rating. Apart from
this increase in the incidence of poverty, the population of the poor has
been on the increase. Report from the federal office of statistic (2001)
reveal that the percentage of the poor increased from 62percent in 1980
to 93 percent in 1996 whereas, that of the moderately poor rose from
28percent to the same period.
Abiola and Olopa (2008) states that the scourge of poverty in Nigeria is
an incontrovisible fact which result in hunger, ignorance, malnutrition,
disease, unemployment, poor access to credit facilities and low life
expectancy as well as general level of human hopelessness.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over years discourse of poverty has continued to engage the attention of

scholars, development practitioners, politicians and international

development agencies. One consensus reached is that poverty is a

universal phenomenon that affects whether in developed or

underdeveloped countries. However, a search of relevant social science

literatures suggests that poverty in underdeveloped countries is absolute

and more pronounced in rural areas. Nigeria a country once regarded as

a model for African development and "Grant in the sun" (Ghana, 1996,

is a poor country in the midst of abundant resources among other things,

the country is enormously endowed with human good weather condition

for agriculture, petroleum, Bas and large untapped mineral resources.

But rather than recording remarkable progressed to become one of the

poor countries fifty years after the independence, whereas she was

among the richest in the early 1970s Obadar 2002). Furthermore, the

rural population that constitute about seventy percent of the country’s

population are ironically backward and underdeveloped in term of

minimum human standard of living. The rural dwellers suffer on many

fronts and are powerless to improve their situation because of ill-health,

poor education and lack access to many opportunities available to them.

if one goes round the village in Nigeria today they would witness

conditions of motor, roads, women and children walking barefooted and

trekking long distance to get water and firewood, pupils studying under

trees a dilapidated and ill-equipped health center and scores of poverty

driven problems. It is based on these that the present study attempts to

examine the causes and effects of poverty among Nigerian dwellers

particularly in Iseyin town in western Nigeria.

 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The aim of this study is to examine the effect and causes of poverty

among rural dwellers in South Western Nigeria, particularly in Iseyin.

The specific objectives includes to:

|I. Identify the causes of poverty among rural dwellers Iseyin Oyo State.
II. Examine the effects of poverty among the study group. m.
III. Identify the challenges of poverty reduction in Nigeria particularly
IV. South Western Nigeria. Suggest the frame work for a sustainable and
program matic solution for alleviating chronic poverty among rural
dwellers in Iseyin town.
LITERATURE REVIEW

Poverty has become a general phenomenon that is perceived to

mean different things to different people at different times and places.

Ogwumike (2001) defined poverty as a situation where a household or

individuals is unable to meet the basic necessities of life, which include

consumption and non-consumption items considered as minimum

requirement to sustain livelihood. Ogwumike (2001) and Odusola

(20D1) referred to poverty as a condition of deprivation which could be

inform of social inferiority, isolation, physical weakness, vulnerability,

powerlessness and humiliation.

Literatures have not really been able to give a general consensus as to

the meaning and definition of poverty. This may not be unconnected

with the mare physical, moral, economic, political, social, religious,

cultural and psychological. it is a state of any form of involuntary

deprivation that a person, household and society can be subject to.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

A large percentage of citizens of this country live in poverty. Many

factors responsible for this phenomenon. Attempt to alleviate poverty

among durable groups in Nigeria has been cumbersome. The purpose

and effects of this study is enlighten and educate people on the level of

poverty in Nigeria rural areas using Iseyin town as a case study, This

study will be a resource of material for Local State or Federal

Government in acknowledging the position of people they govern.

This study will aim at exposing the hidden fact about poverty driven

society and hereby open development program activities in all facet of

economic to fight the poverty to the smallest. It will be useful as well for

future research on related topics. The general public, who may be

interested in having an in-depth knowledge and insight of the subject

matters as well as investors willing to invest in the sector of the

economic will also benefit from this study.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This will deal with the procedure and step taken in collecting and

analyzing data for this project. The population of this study is made up

of the whole of rural dweller in Iseyin town.

SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION

The study employed two sources of data collection via primary and
secondary sources. The secondary sources involved the use of well-
structured questionnaire administered on fifty (50) purposive selected
respondents.
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected were analyzed with the aid of qualitative method
which use of tables, frequency distribution and percentage distribution.
Summary
This research will reveal various factors responsible for poverty in

Nigeria. The findings will discover the effect of poverty among study

group.

Poverty has effect on the acquisition of physical assets such as land and
capital, this occurs when the right to exploit or make use of productivity
is restricted. It was also restricted. It was also noted in the course of
study that inadequate access to social infrastructural facilities such as
electricity good roads, pipe borne water and education are identified as
the effect of poverty. Apart from the above findings, the data collected
in this research work has shown that corruption remains one of the
challenges confronting poverty in Nigeria. The policies of poverty
formulated are also one of the challenges of poverty, as those saddled
with the responsibility of alleviating poverty are the probable cause of
the problem in Nigeria.
Finally .the study has unveiled the framework for a sustainable and
programmatic solution for alleviating chronic poverty among rural
dwellers. The intervention of the state through the formulation of
welfaristic policies is a necessity to deal with the social matters
associated with its activities such as well as its equitable distribution.