The Role of Household Endowments in Determining Poverty in Nigeria By

The contribution of household endowments to poverty in Nigeria has received little attention despite the fact that both human and capital asset endowments are important determinants of poverty outcomes. This paper thus examines empirically the role of household physical and human assets endowments in determining poverty in Nigeria between 1985 and 1996. Using data from the national consumer surveys of 1985, 1992 and 1996 we estimate Probits for the three periods and found that household endowments are significant determinant of poverty among both rural and urban households. Out of all these endowments the education of the household head stands as the most important determinant of poverty in Nigeria.