Summary It is widely perceived that there is a growing gulf in Nigeria between the poor and the nonpoor – the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer. And that this is standing in the way of the poor from sharing in the benefits of economic growth, thus, preventing many of them from escaping poverty. This paper presents a shred of counterevidence. For instance, between 1980 and 2010 the GDP per capita of Nigeria rose by 18.92%; but at the same time the rate of absolute poverty rose by 62.76%; and the level of inequality – measured in terms of Gini Index – declined by 35.66%. The picture being painted by these stylized facts raises at least three questions: (a) over the past three decades, how has inequality in Nigeria evolved: has it be rising or falling? (b) What are the forces driving the change in the country's level of inequality? (c) If at all, does rising inequality erodes growth-driven opportunity for poverty reduction? Using survey-based datasets that toge...