Rural Poverty in Nigeria: A Spatial Analysis

This study presents a spatial analysis of rural poverty in Nigeria, using Akwa-Ibom State as a case study. The study specifically identifies the indicators and determinants of rural poverty, examines the spatial pattern and causes of variation in poverty levels and analyse the poverty profiles of rural households in Akwa Ibom State. Through the use of structured questionnaires, field observations, and focused group discussions as instruments of data collection, data on 28 poverty indicators and 14 determinants were obtained and analysed from 400 households in 30 randomly sampled rural communities in the State. The analysis of the data using factor analysis model yielded eight principal dimensions of rural poverty.Together the eight dimensions accounted for 75.87 percent of the variation in the original 28 primary indicator variables. The factor scores that arose from the analysis revealed the existence of poverty and wide inequalities among the studied settlements. Based on these, recommendations towards poverty reductions in the rural communities were made.