Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

Poverty as a term can be somewhat complicated. In many respects, it indicates being indigent, being poor, lacking and in need. However, in religious context, especially in Christianity, the New Testament recorded that the sermon on the mountain, indicated that blessed are the ‘poor’ in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The complication becomes the literal understanding or interpretation accorded to the text. The exegesis on the biblical concept of being poor has a lot of existential stronghold especially for religious people. This present study examines Poverty in relation to Migration. Migration implies an itinerant change from one place to another. What is debatable as the study exposes is the fact of why people move from one place to another especially in search of greener pasture? Is poverty the cause? Are there causal relations between poverty and migration? Employing the methods of phenomenology and analysis, the study seeks to explore how poverty causes people to migrate with a view to tackling the problems of home countries in relation to citizens' welfare, growth, development and general wellbeing, using Nigeria as an indicting example. The study raises the factual observation that there is a link between poverty and migration. The study concludes that to nip such emigrational tendencies in the bud, there is need to fix the problems of home countries with structural and developmental strategies that utilize the best of human and natural resources in creating an enabling and conducive ambience where society is “depovertized” and where people can actualize their potentials without hindrance or denial.

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