Prebendal Politics and the Quest for Eradication of Pervasive Poverty in Nigeria’s Cross River State

Abstract

Poverty with its attendant risks of deprivation in the life of the citizens is the bane of social and economic development in Cross River State, Nigeria. At different periods, the State has introduced diverse poverty programmes (Youth Empowerment, Electrification, Roads, etc) with a view to improve the miserable conditions of the poor at the grassroots. However, these laudable programmes were marred by the evil forces of prebendal politics which turned the expectations of the people into a grim social condition of frustration. This paper canvasses that prebendal politics should be eradicated in order to effectively implement poverty eradication in the State