ABSTRACT
Nigeria is a country in West Africa bordering Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east and Niger in the north. The chapter details the areas most affected by conflict over time and investigates the relationships between the risk factors, poverty and intensity of conflict in these areas. The methodology used in assessing the correlates of conflict in Nigeria is the multiple regression analysis. The specification given earlier explains that poverty remains a significant predictor of conflict after adding several controls of social diversity, relative development and geography. The chapter provides econometric analysis of a within-country study of conflict intensity and poverty in Nigeria. It was found that conflict intensity was higher in places that were exposed to greater poverty. This study supports the grievance-based analysis of poverty and conflict whereby high levels of poverty lead to a greater level of grievances against the government, thereby leading to conflicts in these areas.
