Resumen
Previous studies on Zakah administration have addressed the issue of distribution of Zakah funds to reduce the sufferings of the poor. The purpose of this work, however, is to argue for a change from Zakah distribution to capacity building approach so as to change the condition of the poor and the needy from being Zakah recipients to Zakah payers. The fact remains that Nigeria is a rich nation but its people are poor. Many factors have been adduced to be the causes of poverty and perennial insurgency in Nigeria. It is observed that Zakah is not administered as it ought in Nigeria. The study proffered efficient Zakah institution as an effective antidote to curb the menace of poverty and insecurity. The paper argues through poverty alleviation model that if Zakah is properly managed and disbursed judiciously, many destitute would be saved from the cloak of unscrupulous politicians and half-baked scholars who use them to destabilize the country. The study also believed that if Zakah authority could be sending the poor to training centers to gain certain skills or financing their children?s education; this would improve their living condition. The study utilized historical and ideological framework, while relying on secondary sources.