Poverty Determinants Among Households in Nigeria

Poverty is a scourge that continues to have adverse effects and severe hardship on millions of people all over the world. A widely known paradox is that many of the world¿s poorest countries are home to major resources that drive the global economy. Nigeria is a perfect example of such countries. It is the biggest crude oil producer in Africa yet many of its citizens languish in poverty. The greatest concern of any government should be to devise means to redress the poverty trap currently plaguing the country. In order to achieve this goal, a comprehensive knowledge of the poverty profile and its determinants both at household and regional level are imperative. Employing national consumption expenditure data 2009/2010 from the National Bureau of Statistics NBS, the study investigated the determinants of poverty status (depth) among households in Nigeria and also estimated poverty indices for rural and urban regions, and various groups of respondents.