Assessment of Poverty Traits among Residents of Minna's Informal Settlement, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study evaluates the urban poverty characteristics of inhabitants of the informal settlement of Bosso in Minna, Niger state, Nigeria. It utilized a projected population of Bosso at 1,500 households, using a sample size of 251, and applied the Kothari model to arrive at a reasonable sample for the study. The study employed closed ended questionnaire, and systematic random sampling was employed to administer 251 questionnaires to every 10th house, and 247 questionnaires were returned and analysed for the study. Descriptive method of analysis, such as percentages and crosstabulation, was used. Also, inferential methods, such chi-square test was used to determine the relationship of households in terms of poverty characteristics. The result revealed that 76.9% majority of the households that fall in the second to fourth categories of household size were living below half a dollar per day. The result further revealed that the level of education and household sizes are significantly related in terms of income level. The study concludes that the informal settlement area of Bosso was characterized by poverty, as the majority of the households live below half a dollar per day.