Weaponisation of Poverty: The Unholy Tool of Nigerian Politicians
By Matthew Eloyi
In every election cycle, Nigerian politicians masterfully rehearse and execute the same shameful script: turning the poverty of the masses into a powerful political weapon. Rather than addressing poverty as the urgent national crisis that it is, they exploit it as a tool for manipulation, control, and dominance. The result is a vicious cycle in which poverty is not just perpetuated but carefully preserved, because the poorer the people are, the more politically useful they become.
The deliberate weaponisation of poverty manifests in several ways. Most glaring is the rampant practice of vote-buying. On election days, politicians deploy wads of naira, food items, or household essentials to desperate voters who, battered by economic hardship, find it difficult to resist. A bag of rice, a packet of noodles, or as little as a thousand naira becomes the price of a citizen’s conscience and, tragically, the future of a community. This crude transaction is possible only because politicians have successfully kept millions in survival mode, unable to think beyond the next meal.
The strategy goes deeper than election-day inducements. For decades, successive governments have deliberately failed to invest in the very systems that could lift citizens out of poverty: education, healthcare, infrastructure, and job creation. Instead, the ruling class thrives on tokenism: distributing sewing machines, motorcycles, or bags of fertilizer under so-called empowerment schemes. These handouts create dependence rather than independence, ensuring that the poor remain perpetually grateful to their political benefactors. Poverty, in this context, is not an accident of mismanagement; it is a deliberate design.
This weaponisation of poverty also explains why genuine reforms are resisted. A well-educated, economically empowered population would naturally demand accountability, transparency, and good governance. Such a citizenry would be less susceptible to manipulation by religious sloganeering, ethnic sentiments, or paltry handouts. But by keeping people hungry and desperate, politicians guarantee a submissive electorate, one too weak to challenge authority or organise for change.
The irony is that Nigeria is a country of vast human and natural resources, yet it has been consistently ranked as the “poverty capital of the world.” This paradox cannot be divorced from the choices of the political elite, who benefit from a system that thrives on deprivation. For them, poverty is not merely a social problem; it is a political asset.
But there are consequences. A nation that allows poverty to be weaponised inevitably invites instability. Insecurity, crime, youth restiveness, and mass migration are all rooted in a population denied basic opportunities. The growing distrust between citizens and government, coupled with disillusionment about democracy itself, is a direct outcome of this manipulative cycle. Poverty may secure short-term political victories, but in the long run, it undermines the very foundations of the state.
Breaking this cycle requires both systemic reform and citizen awakening. Nigerians must first reject the transactional politics that equates votes with crumbs. Citizens must understand that accepting inducements is not merely a survival tactic but a reinforcement of their own chains. Civil society, the media, and faith leaders also have a duty to expose and condemn the weaponisation of poverty rather than enable it with silence or complicity.
On the part of government, real poverty eradication must go beyond slogans and cosmetic empowerment programmes. It must focus on building institutions that guarantee access to quality education, healthcare, jobs, and social protection. Policies should target sustainable wealth creation, not temporary relief. Anything less is another charade.
Poverty in Nigeria is not just an economic condition; it is a political strategy. Until this truth is acknowledged and resisted, politicians will continue to thrive on the hunger of the people, while the promise of democracy remains unfulfilled.