Rural Poverty Alleviation and Democracy in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic (1999-2009)

This study assesses the impact of poverty alleviation programmes of government on the rural dwellers in Nigeria from 1999 to 2009. It argues that the various poverty alleviation programmes put in place by government have not made any meaningful impact on the lives of majority of rural people who are living below poverty line. A lthough poverty is a universal phenomenon that affect the socio-economic and political well being of its victims whether in a developed or underdeveloped country, however, available statistics shows that poverty in poor countries is absolute and more pronounced in rural areas. Under the present democratic dispensation, the rural folks that constitutes significant segment of the Nigerian society live in abject poverty and are neglected in terms of socio-economic and political well being. The poverty alleviation programmes of government that suppose to bring succor to rural folks are urban-biased. The paper concludes that democracy cannot thrive in an impoverished society where people live below one dollar ($1) per day, and where stresses of disease, famine and climatic shock are pervasive. Finally, the research suggests the way forward towards poverty reduction in rural Nigeria.