Pushing Back Poverty In Nigeria: Agribusiness Development:- Jude Anayochukwu Mbanasor,

ABSTRACT

The incidence of poverty in Nigeria in recent times has become a major challenge to policy makers and most Nigerians. Central Intelligence Agency (2011) noted that the incidence of poverty in Nigeria stood at 70%. It is also on note that successive governments in Nigeria have tried different policies and programmes geared towards reducing the level of poverty in the country through a number of strategies. First, through the activities of its ministries/agencies; second, by collaborating with international agencies; third, and more importantly-, through the establishment of agencies equipped solely to fight rising poverty and unemployment in Nigeria, but none of these have done anything in bringing the poverty level to even a minimal level, let alone alleviating it. Statistically, poverty level was at 27.2% in 1980 and then rose to 49.0% in 1996 and has hit 70.0% in recent times.