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The Weaponization of Poverty by the Political Class in Nigeria

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study examines the multifaceted nature of poverty in Nigeria and its strategic manipulation by political and economic elites as a tool for maintaining power and control. Employing the theoretical framework of Geographical Disparities, the research explores how poverty extends beyond mere economic deprivation to encompass social exclusion, capability deprivation, and systematic disenfranchisement. The study reveals that poverty in Nigeria manifests through various dimensions, including economic poverty, multidimensional poverty, and structural poverty, with significant disparities between rural and urban contexts. The research identifies several mechanisms through which poverty is weaponized, including the strategic use of hunger and food insecurity, manipulation of welfare policies, implementation of economic policies favoring the wealthy, and strategic media narratives. The analysis demonstrates how geographical disparities are deliberately created and maintained through unequal resource distribution, biased infrastructure development, and discriminatory government policies that favor certain regions while marginalizing others. International institutions, particularly the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, have inadvertently contributed to poverty weaponization through Structural Adjustment Programs, conditional aid, and trade policies that often exacerbate inequality rather than alleviate it. The study highlights how these interventions, despite their stated intentions, frequently result in currency devaluation, reduced social spending, and increased dependency on foreign assistance. The consequences of poverty weaponization are far-reaching, encompassing political manipulation through electoral corruption and governance failures, security challenges including insurgency and communal conflicts, social impacts such as human rights violations and restricted access to education and healthcare, and economic ramifications including stunted growth and increased inequality. To address poverty weaponization in Nigeria, the inclusion of impoverished individuals in the political process through education, advocacy, and support for grassroots initiatives is recommended.
Author: Umar, Garpiya
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7080008492
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