Poverty and Pension Reform: An Application of Theories and Paradigms in Social Engineering of Nigerian Society

This paper presents a critical analysis of the process of Social Engineering. It looks at social Engineering as the art of ordering and re-ordering the society. The explanation in the paper shows that social science theories and paradigms provide the framework and the methodological guide through which the society can be engineered. In the paper the researcher presented the opinion that public and social policy process is routed in social science method and methodology. As theories and paradigms analysed the society and other social phenomenon, explain and predict their future direction, pension which is a developmental policy also seek to provide solution to societal problems by explaining and analyzing the problem as well as predicting future direction of the problem. This paper focuses on poverty experienced science by Pensioners and the dependants of dead pubic and civil servants in Nigeria. It looked at the present state of squalor and misery and examined the contributory Pension Reform Act 2004 as an attempt by the government in utilizing social science technique to find solution to societal problems. The paper concludes that the implementation of the Pension Reform Act will change and re-order the society from poverty to new order of excess fund to beneficiary and the entire economy, thereby improving the standard of living and quality of life of Nigerians. The paper is an explanative analysis which recommends the utilization of social science investigation and theory formulation skills in providing solutions to emerging societal and organizational problems. (241 word)