Paper short abstract:

Despite the abundant natural resources available in the country, poverty remains a major problem with approximately 70 million people living on less than US$1 per day without adequate social protection arrangements for poverty reduction and social cohesion in Nigeria.

Paper long abstract:

Despite the abundant natural resources available in the country, poverty remains a major problem with approximately 70 million people living on less than US$1 per day without adequate social protection arrangements. Before the reinstatement of democracy in 1999, some scholars viewed military rule as the source of the problem. This makes it pertinent to ascertain whether the practice of democracy in Nigeria since 1999 has improved the social protection arrangements for poverty reduction and social cohesion in Nigeria. In order to achieve this objective, the study examines the following questions: What are the current social protection arrangements for ameliorating poverty and other forms of vulnerabilities? What are the drivers of social protection policies in Nigeria? How has Nigeria performed in the area of social protection since the reinstatement of democratic rule in 1999? Do existing social protection arrangements foster social cohesion in Nigeria? These questions were answered using primary data sourced through key informant interviews and secondary data from books, journal articles, magazines and reports of local and international organizations. The findings of the study indicate that in spite of the benefits of social protection, the Nigerian government is lagging behind in the provision of adequate social protection to the citizens. This to a large extent is because the government tends to lay emphasis more on economic policy than social policy. Most available social protections arrangements in addition to low coverage are residual in nature rather than transformative.