POVERTY AND DEMOCRATIC CONSOLIDATION IN NIGERIA

The Spate of poverty in Nigeria has reached an alarming rate. It is unfortunate that average Nigerians are living below two dollars a day. It is in view of this unfortunate situation that this study anchored on issues of poverty as it affects democratic consolidation in Nigeria. Marxist theory was used to expose the menace of poverty as it relates to democratic processes in Nigeria. Descriptive method was found useful to this study in understanding the nature, character and consequences of the phenomenon of poverty in the Nigerian nascent democracy. However, it becomes factual as revealed by this study that, achieving a sustained democracy in a poverty striking society remains a mirage. The study also recommends that there is need for a sound economic system that will allow a true democracy to thrive.