The Role of Religion in Poverty Alleviation: Evidence from Nigeria

Abstract

The religion, due to its proximity to the poor, remains one of the major stakeholders of poverty alleviation. The paper studied the role of religion in alleviating poverty in Nigeria using a 250 crosssectional data randomly collected across the country. Employing descriptive statistics and Logistics (Logit) regression model, the result obtained revealed that Religion; Zakah; the provision and creation of jobs by religious bodies; and conflict resolution are increasing functions of poverty in Nigeria, while Tithing; charity (Waqf); Educational aid (scholarships); and the provision of social amenities by religious bodies are poverty alleviating mechanisms in the county. The authors thus recommends the actions of the clerics of individual religious groups in the county to further encourage individuals towards charity/alms giving, provision of social amenities, scholarships and the compliance with Zakah