By Cyriacus Nnaji
Poverty has become such a hydra-headed phenomenon in Nigeria that scholars and critical stakeholders can no longer stay on the sidelines and watch, the discussion is now on high tempo on how to dismantle poverty in Nigeria.
This is obviously part of the Objectives, on Tuesday, 2nd December, 2025, the Lagos State University’s Centre for General Nigerian Studies (CGNS) kick-started her 3rd Education Summit. The event took place at the Makanjuola Lecture Theatre at the main campus in Ojo.
Indeed to ensure proper diagnosis of poverty, the centre conceptualized a very captivating and far reaching theme: “From Dote to Antidote: Unpacking the Dimensions of Poverty in Nigeria and the Blueprint Beyond”.
The centre further designed other Sub-themes to make the summit an all encompassing one, from Microeconomic policies, income distribution, and poverty eradication strategies.
There was discussions around Financial institutions, Entrepreneurship and Poverty Alleviation under which you have Institutional Framework and Accountability for Poverty Reduction; Entrepreneurship, Microfinance, and Scaling Grassroots Innovation; Social Economic Determinants of Educational Inequality and Cultural Experiences, Indigenous knowledge and Community-led Solutions to Poverty.
There was Education Institutions and Poverty Alleviation Initiatives; Strategic Leadership and Resource Management in Poverty Alleviation Education Models; Innovating STEM Education to Empower Marginalized Communities; Physical Well-being, Sports Economy and Poverty Reduction through Inclusive Health Programmes; and Data-driven Model of Poverty Indicators and Intervention Outcomes, among other sub-themes.
Addressing the gathering, the Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Topo Badagry, Lagos State, and Special Guest of Honour, Dr Funke Adepoju-Olayomi, said that education remains the strongest antidote, the great equaliser equipping citizens with the skills and mindset required to thrive in human capital development, adding that education strengthens governance structures, creates supportive ecosystems, and shifts the nation’s trajectory towards shared prosperity, emphasising that poverty remains a lived reality.
Dr Adepoju-Olayomi expressed confidence that the robust conversations and outcomes from the summit would provide actionable blueprints for policymakers and institutions, translating into measurable impacts. She reiterated that much progress is underway and that education remains a game-changer within that space.
She said, “I want to commend the organisers, third year in a roll, for maintaining a courageous focus on one of the defining challenges of our time, poverty.
“This year’s theme challenges us to diagnose poverty, but to move from sympathy to systems thinking, from short term relief to transformative sustainable solutions, poverty is not merely a statistics, it is a lived reality that denies dignity, limits aspiration, and weakens our national competitiveness. Yet within our collective ingenuity lies the power to unlock pathways to inclusion, productivity and hope. I am very confident that the robust conversations and outcomes from this summit will provide actionable blueprint that policy makers and institutions can translate into measurable impact,” she said.
Keynote Speaker, Prof Benedict Emunemu, President, HERPNET, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, made it clear that every Nigerian is multi-dimensionally poor, adding that historically, poverty in Nigeria started with Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and it has dovetailed into insecurity, over reliance on crude oil, bringing with it short term palliative measures that are ill suffering without alleviating the structural drivers of poverty.
He exposed the multifaceted scourge of deprivation affecting 133 million Nigerians, according to the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). He highlighted that poverty extends beyond income, encompassing deficits in education, health, housing, and security issues rooted in colonial legacies, corruption, overdependence on oil, and weak governance structures. He contrasted “dotes”, or mere palliative measures such as PAP, NAPEP, and N-Power, with “antidotes”, which involve systemic solutions through economic diversification, institutional reforms, and human capital investment.
Emunemu further emphasised that the unpacked dimensions of poverty reveal economic strains from unemployment and inflation; social barriers including educational and gender inequalities most severe in northern states; political challenges arising from policy inconsistency; infrastructural deficits in power and transport; and environmental threats such as desertification and flooding. He outlined targeted strategies for sustainable poverty reduction, advocating evidence-based policies supported by strengthened monitoring and evaluation systems.
He urged Nigeria to move from temporary fixes to structural, long-term strategies anchored in integrated, inclusive, and evidence-driven reforms. He stressed that sustainable development depends on robust governance, empowerment initiatives, and community participation.
The host, Prof MOB Mohammed, the Director of the Centre for General Nigerian Studies (CGNS), in his welcome address, expressed profound gratitude to the University Management, led by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, for granting the Centre the opportunity to hold its 3rd Education Summit under her administration. He appreciated all invited guests, speakers, and participants for their presence. According to him, their attendance, representing a broad spectrum of policymakers, educators, and thought leaders, underscores the significance of the issues being addressed. He noted that the summit combines both academic and social engagement.
Professor Mohammed urged participants to fully engage with the sessions, contribute their unique insights, and help transform ideas into policy recommendations capable of driving real change.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Professor Rahman Saka, stated that the gathering was dedicated to intellectual reflection and national renewal.
Saka urged the participants, researchers, and academics to move beyond identifying poverty merely as a statistic or inherited burden, but instead interrogate its historical roots, structural drivers, and contemporary manifestations; whether economic, educational, political, cultural, or technological.
He challenged them to collectively design an antidote anchored in evidence, innovation, and inclusive development. He urged participants to ensure that the summit not only diagnoses Nigeria’s challenges but also produces concrete, actionable strategies capable of moving the nation from dote to antidote, from limitations to possibilities, and from rhetoric to reform.
Prof Rahman said, “The gathering is dedicated to intellectual reflection, national rebirth and research for sustainable solutions for one of Nigeria’s most persistent issues, that is poverty.
“Theme, ‘From dote to antidote: Unpacking the Dimensions of Poverty in Nigeria and the Blueprint Beyond’, invites us to move beyond merely identifying the poverty as a static or inherited burden, it calls us to interrogate the historical role, structural drivers and contemporary manifestations whether it is economic, educational, political, cultural or technological.
“More importantly it challenges us to collectively design an antidote, anchored in evidence, innovation and inclusive development.
“As scholars and practitioners, the responsibility before us is clear, to generate knowledge that does not end in conference halls, but translate into policies, programmes and practices that empower communities, strengthen institutions and shape Nigeria’s developmental landscape,” he stated.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the Dean of the Postgraduate School, Professor Ibrahim Olateju, and the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Adigun Lawal.
The summit concluded with a vote of thanks by the Deputy Registrar/Secretary, Centre for General Nigerian Studies, Mr Ademola Adekoya.
