“…In the context of Nigeria, which has one of the highest poverty rates in the world, studies examining the local predictors of poverty based on nationally representative data are sparse. In other words, existing studies that have examined the concept of poverty and its determinants in Nigeria did so by analyzing the pattern of poverty and modeling global relationships, which fails to consider how the geographic attributes of each state/region drives poverty differently across the country, thereby leading to ineffective policies to tackle the problem (Aderounmu et al, 2021; Akpan & Isihak, 2020; Apata et al, 2010; Buba et al, 2018; Deinne & Ajayi, 2019; Obayelu & Awoyemi, 2018; Ogwumike & Akinnibosun, 2013; Olowa, 2012; Omotoso et al, 2021; Sowunmi et al, 2012; Sulaimon, 2020). To bridge this gap in the literature, we identify the local predictors of poverty across the states in Nigeria in order to come up with targeted policy interventions.…”