Beyond David Miller’s Remedial Responsibility:

The Relevance of Institutional Capacity and Willingness in Addressing Poverty and Hunger in Nigeria

Abstract

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