Obstacles to a future National Social Welfare Scheme in Nigeria

Abstract

This study focused on the obstacles to a future social welfare scheme. Due to the high cost of sustaining an expensive  democracy, Nigeria experiences tremendous social suffering and poverty, which disproportionally impact vulnerable  citizens who have no social assistance. The methodology was qualitative and the method was interpretive descriptive  analysis. The theoretical perspective was Devereux and Sabates-Wheeler’s (2004) transformative social protection  model, which considered social protection for the poor and vulnerable people. The research findings constitute  obstacles to a future national social welfare scheme these are corruption, overpopulation, the high cost of democratic  institutions, overwhelming poverty, the lack of continuity of projects and the consistent theft of crude oil since 2010 which have adversely impacted Nigeria’s ability to meet major financial obligations in the health, education and  infrastructural sectors to mention a few. The study concluded that it is virtually impossible to implement a future social  welfare scheme or any selective form of social protection in Nigeria under the current conditions. Amongst the  recommendations, it was proposed that the government should cut down its expensive political institutions, reduce the  high salaries and allowances paid to political office holders, conduct a national census to know the actual population of  the country, enforce birth control policies to limit the number of children, give social assistance to the most vulnerable  citizens, make health care affordable and ensure there is peace, order and security to fulfil good governance.