AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAMMES IN ZAMFARA STATE

Abstract

The Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) was introduced to brin immediate succour to Nigerians living below the poverty line. The study underscores the fact that poverty has long been in existence in Nigeria. While institutions usually emphasize material poverty, the poor have their own personnel perceptions of poverty, which are gaining increasing merit in the development community, along with the emerging emphasis on participatory development. The poor economic performance that led to the worsening of poverty in Nigeria has been traced to several factors. Inadequate availability and access to basic social services and poor quality of the available services, also contribute to increasing and persistent poverty among Nigerians. The study reveals that poverty alleviation efforts have not been broad, effective and focused on the poor and the ultra poor. The size of the poor covered by the targeted programmes stands minimal compared to the existing size of the poor people. Different administrations in Nigeria have adopted their own poverty alleviation programme, instead of continuing with, and improving on the previous poverty programmes. As an approach to development, poverty alleviation is not an entirely new concept in Nigeria's development experience. The Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs), the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), the Strategic Grains Reserves Programmes, the programme for accelerated wheat production as well as the Artisanal Fisheries Development programmes belonged in this category. There was a clear weakness in the overall coordination, control, monitoring and evaluation of poverty alleviation programmes. The Zamfara State Agency for Poverty Alleviation (ZAPA) now under the Directorate of Poverty Alleviation and Co-operative Development and the Zakat and Endowment Board were established in 1999. The approach to poverty reduction in the state was a deliberate investment in people. The study recommends that poverty can be remedied by ensuring that investment in the children from families presently afflicted with poverty is increased. Controlling corruption and waste in government could assist in poverty reduction. Finally, no poverty alleviation programme in any society would be successful without controlling corruption and government waste, showing transparency, accountability, and effective leadership. One way of doing this is the observance of due process by the implementing agencies.