It is a known fact that poverty is a macroeconomic issue ravaging the Nigerian economy and the government over the years has struggled to free Nigeria from the horrible stronghold of this problem with minimal results. In fact, in 2018, Nigeria was tagged “the poverty capital of the world” by the World Poverty Clock. It is therefore an unarguable fact that the poverty rate is high in Nigeria. However, although poverty is a macro issue, the task of reducing poverty will have to start at the micro household level.

Poverty measurement in urban regions is grossly undermined, therefore, poverty eradication programmes oftentimes focus on rural areas. However, because of increased urbanization, urban cities are now overcrowded coupled with increased poverty. In fact, poverty in rural areas may not be as gruesome as that experienced in urban centres. This is because rural dwellers have access to family assets such as large farmlands, good housing structures, and less crowded educational facilities. However, the opposite is seen in urban centres. The urban poor are concentrated in slums and are excluded from basic amenities and provisions which other less vulnerable people have access to. A good example is Lagos State, the business hub of Nigeria and the second-largest city in Africa. Like Nigeria, Lagos State is also battling with an increased population.