Abstract
This paper examines the interplay between good governance and social protection policies as tools in addressing poverty as a development challenge in Nigeria. Despite Nigeria’s abundant natural and human resources, widespread poverty, inequality, and weak institutional capacity continue to impede sustainable development. Corruption, manifested in the mismanagement of public funds, policy inconsistency, and lack of accountability remains a central factor undermining poverty reduction efforts and weakening the effectiveness of social protection initiatives. The study provides an analytical overview of Nigeria’s persistent development challenges, including high unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, educational deficiencies, poor healthcare systems, and economic instability. These challenges were examined within the framework of governance quality and policy implementation capacity. Social protection programs such as Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs), the Universal Basic Education (UBE) program, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and the Youth Employment and Social Support Operations (YESSO) were evaluated in terms of their successes, and limitations. Employing a qualitative research design, the paper draws on secondary data from scholarly literature, government reports, and international development agencies. Findings reveal that good governance anchored on transparency, accountability, rule of law, participation, responsiveness, equity, and efficiency is pivotal to the effective design and implementation of social protection policies. The study recommends strengthening institutional frameworks, enhancing transparency and accountability mechanisms, promoting participatory governance, improving data management systems, and expanding social protection coverage. The paper concludes that the synergy between good governance and robust social protection policies is essential for reducing poverty, curbing corruption, improving citizens’ welfare, and fostering sustainable socio-economic development in Nigeria.
Keywords: Good Governance, Social Protection, Poverty, Sustainable Development
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.