BEYOND DAVID MILLER’S REMEDIAL RESPONSIBILITY: THE RELEVANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY AND WILLINGNESS IN ADDRESSING POVERTY AND HUNGER IN NIGERIA

Addressing poverty and its devastating impact on humans is a pressing concern that has been a topic of discussion in both political and economic spheres for decades. Scholars from a variety of disciplines have proposed a variety of strategic ideas to ensure that poverty is mitigated, particularly as it concerns the global South. Clearly, poverty is still a serious problem in contemporary civilizations, particularly in Nigeria. Numerous efforts have been applied to reduce the poverty rate. However, it appears that these efforts have been in futility. David Miller’s effort towards the eradication of poverty is explicitly spelt out in his Remedial responsibility theory. Miller highlighted six factors in his connection theory of remedial responsibility. He argued that the six factors weigh equally and no one factor weighs above the other. Through the method of critical analysis, this research submits that capacity weighs more than other factors; this is because if a nation lacks sufficient capacity, then it cannot be held remedially responsible. This research argues further that institutional capacity and willingness is capable of filling the gap that is inherent in Miller’s idea of remedial responsibility, thereby helping us to holistically address the problem of poverty in the global South. Although it is true that individuals play a significant role in reducing poverty in the context of global poverty, institutional capacity also plays a larger role than individuals because poverty is a worldwide problem. When issues of greed, corruption, inaction, or lack of drive are raised during the poverty alleviation process, willingness arises.