CONCEPTUAL PLURALISM IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF POVERTY: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA. BY LOUIS NWABUEZE EZEILO SUBMITTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THE UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS LEEDS UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL ECONOMICS DIVISION SEPTEMBER 2016 i Intellectual property statement The Candidate confirms that the work submitted is his own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. ISBN: © 2016 The University of Leeds; & Ezeilo Louis Nwabueze ii Acknowledgement There are many individuals and organisations that have through their intellectual and financial support made this research possible. My thanks go first and foremost to Almighty God who has used me as an instrument to accomplish this intellectual journey. I remain indebted to the members of my academic supervisory and advisory team: Professor Malcolm Sawyer, Dr Gaston Yaloneztky and Dr Jorg Wiegratz, for the extensive wealth of knowledge, experiences, resources and time which they generously shared with me. Their critical views and valuable support encouraged me to work hard and believe in myself. To you all, I remain ever grateful. I thank immensely all the members and staff of the Leeds University Business School. My sincere gratitude goes to all the individuals, academia, communities, institutions and organisations that made themselves available for interviews and Focus group discussions during the course of this research. Your numerous contributions and the time you spared are all valued and appreciated. I appreciate the spiritual and material support of my Local ordinary, Most Rev Dr. Paulinus Ezeokafor, the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Nigeria, whose encouragement has kept me going over these years. I equally appreciate the filial support I have been enjoying from my mother, Ezinne Monica Ezeilo and my other siblings, Richard, Louisa, John, Fabian, Ngozi, Emma and Ikechukwu. I acknowledge also my cherished numerous friends in Nigeria, United Kingdom and beyond, whose material and spiritual contributions towards my academic success remain immeasurable. Finally, I appreciate the conviviality I enjoyed from my colleagues in the Business School, and in a special way, the unquantifiable companionship and encouragement I enjoyed from my brother priest, Cyriacus Elochukwu Okafor. May God Almighty bless and reward you all abundantly. iii Dedication This work is dedicated to all: who are afflicted by the plague of poverty in most countries of the world especially children who die as a result of hunger and all those who are deprived of peace due to war who are making efforts as individuals or organisations towards alleviating poverty and restoring human dignity iv Abstract The problem of poverty and its conceptualisation has been a central concern of many extant literatures, especially in emerging economies. A central issue underpinning these studies is the assumption that poverty is a multidimensional construct. Thus, these various concepts of poverty constitute a conceptual plurality. Consistent with the burgeoning interest in understanding the various meanings of poverty, and using the conceptual pluralism approach, this study seeks to investigate the similarities and divergences concerning poverty understanding in Nigeria. Of particular concern are concepts of poverty used by various anti-poverty organisations, and by people in communities where anti- poverty organisations work. Using field interviews and extensive Focus Group Discussions spanning various anti-poverty organisations, and the four geo-political zones in Nigeria, this study carries out its investigation on the conceptual pluralism in the understanding of poverty in Nigeria and its relationship to formulated poverty reduction strategies. The findings reveal that there are wide variations in the conceptualisation of poverty from the voices of the poor and anti-poverty organisations involved in poverty reduction campaigns. Of particular interest are the traditional, cultural and non-material understandings of poverty. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the definitions of poverty presented by the poor and actors of anti-poverty measures unveiled some perceived causes of poverty in Nigeria. The research also finds that there is an underlying dynamism over time in the understanding and conceptualisation of poverty; and that these changes are anchored on certain economic, social, cultural and political factors operating in different periods. It equally finds that there are underlying linkages between poverty conceptualisation and the adopted strategies and policies employed by anti- poverty organisations. This is predicated on the fact that the type of poverty identified and prioritised by these organisations largely shapes the measures taken to address poverty gaps in Nigeria. Finally, the research particularly reveals internal and external tensions as the implications of conceptual pluralism in the understanding of poverty amongst anti-poverty organisations, as well as challenges faced in the implementations of anti-poverty measures. v List of Abbreviations ABC Alliance for Behavioural Change ACD Ajamgbadi Community Development ADP Agricultural Development Programme AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome APM Anti-Poverty Measures APO Anti-Poverty Organisations ATR African Traditional religion AU African Union BLP Better Life Programme BNI Basic Needs Index BNPL Basic Needs Poverty Line CAFOD Catholic Agency for Overseas Development CAP Community Action Plan CAPPA Community Action Plan for Poverty Alleviation CB Community Bank CBCN Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria CBN Central Bank of Nigeria CBO Community Based Organisations CCD Community Charter of Development CDD Centre for Democracy and Development CDD Community Driven Development CEC Commission of the European Communities CPA Conceptual Pluralism Approach CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child DFFRI Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure DFID Department for International Development vi ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean EFCC Economic and Financial Crime Commission FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation FBO Faith Based Organisation FCT Federal Capital Territory FDI Foreign Direct Investment FEAP Family Employment Advancement Programmes FEEDS Federal Capital Territory Economic Empowerment and Development Strategies FGD Focus Groups Discussions FOS Federal Office of Statistics FSI Food Security Index FSP Family Support Programme GDP Gross Domestic Product GR Green Revolution HDI Human Development Index HDR Human Development Report HIV Human Immune Virus HPI Human Poverty Index ICG International Crisis Group ICT Information Communication Technology IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development ILO International Labour Organization IMF International Monetary Fund IPI Integrated Poverty Index IRM Imo Rescue Mission vii ISI Import Substitution Industrialisation JAMB Joint Admission Matriculation Board JDPC Justice, Development and Peace Commission LAPO Live Above Poverty LEEDS Local Government Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy LLC Limited Liability Churches MEND Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta MDG Millennium Development Goal MNC Multinational Corporations MPI Multi-dimensional Poverty Index NACRDB Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Development Bank NAIS National Agricultural Insurance Scheme NALDA National Agricultural Land Development Agency NAPEC National Poverty Eradication Council NAPEP National Poverty Eradication Programme NBS Nigeria Bureau of Statistics NC North-Central ND Niger Delta NDE National Directorate of Employment NDV Niger Delta Vigilante NE North-East NEEDS National Economic Empowerment and development Strategy NEPAD New Partnership for African Development NERF National Economic Reconstruction Fund NGO Non-Governmental Organization viii NOA National Orientation Agency NPC National Planning Commission NPHCA National Primary Health Care Agency NRDCS Natural Resources Development and Conservation Scheme NW North-West NWA Niger Welfare Association OCHI Our Community Health Initiative OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OF Outreach Foundation OFN Operation Feed the Nation OPEC Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries PAP Poverty Alleviation Programme PB Peoples’ Bank PPA Participatory Poverty Assessment PPACA Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal RBDA River Basin Development Authority RIDS Rural Infrastructural Development Scheme RWI Relative Welfare Index SAP Structural Adjustment Programme SCOAN Synagogue Church of All Nation SDG Sustainable Development Goals SEEDS State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy SE South-East SEU Social Exclusion Unit SOWESS Social Welfare Service Scheme ix SS South-South SURE-P Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme SW South-West THO Total Health Organisation TI Transparency International TOT Training of the Trainee UK United Kingdom UMT Urban Mass Transit UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNICEF United Nation International Emergency Children Fund USAID US Agency for International Development USDS United State Department of States VGC Victoria Garden City VFF Vesico-Vaginal Fistulae VoP Voices of the Poor WDR World Development Report WHO World Health Organisation WICAD Women