For the first time in its history, the Nigerian middle class cutting across tribe and religious persuasion has risen to demand for good governance in the affairs of the country.
This unprecedented development is hugely significant because it confirms the coming of age of a generation of Nigerians.Many of those marching in Nigerian cities and in far flung cities of London, New York etc are drawn together by a common bond. They are educated, unlike their parents who came from rural areas, their formative experiences were forged in urban areas with the attendant cosmopolitan tastes and values that come from city life.
Nigeria has had a middle class in the past. The forerunners occupied the civil service, academia and could also be found in commerce. However it was the civil service of the 1950s, 60s and 70s that absorbed the first generation of middle class in Nigeria.
The first generation middle class were very much a product of the colonial era and mind set, they were NOT Nigerianized.
Many of the current middle class have had no experience of colonialism, have participated in the NYSC programme and recollect with pride and nostalgia the Nigeria of the past that could boost of a robust economy, a dynamic foreign policy that fought apartheid, played a key role in the non-aligned movement and offered credible services in education, and healthcare.
The current middle class are therefore bound by many common experiences. This class of Nigerian are privileged to live in an Information Age and much more savvy at embracing the offerings of new media and new technology.
They are avid enthusiasts of mobile technologies, online social networks and yearning for the social freedoms and opportunities that open, democratic and functional societies offer albeit within a Nigerian context.
The Nigerian middle class of today has had a poor track record of taking up careers in the civil service due to the military purge of the civil service, rise in tribalism and nepotism in civil service hiring, erosion of meritocracy in determining progression in the civil service and the attendant decline in the status of civil service jobs and attraction of higher paying salaries in the private sectors particularly the energy and banking sectors.
At a time the civil service offered no real attraction for many of the young graduates of the late 1970s, and 1980s. This is changing slowly no thanks to recent reforms.
Long periods of military rule also had its impact on the psyche of the middle class. There where no opportunities in politics under military rule.
Furthermore, Stop-Start political programmes by the military made a career in politics a no-go for those with middle class values and aspirations. In 1999 when democracy was re-introduced no thanks to a discredited military, the middle class were no where to be found.
The political space was therefore hijacked by others with values very much inimical to the noble dictates of democracy and good governance.
This new political class have over the years become exceedingly rich and powerful . Despite their enormous wealth, the new political class due to their lack of ethics and perception of power as an end in itself have now taken the country to the precipice with their wanton corruption, abuse of power and neglect of their mandate to loot the treasury.
Sidelined from office and facing annihilation, the middle classes have been stirred from their lethargy and apathy and are now out on the streets of Abuja, Lagos, London , New York etc demanding good governance and seeking for the sake of their posterity to take their country back!
It is expected that beyond the ongoing street protest, 2011 will see many more credible candidates committed to the rule of law, electoral, economic and political reform seeking office. Succinctly put a combination of forces has emerged to compel the Nigerian middle class to “come out”. These forces and event can be listed as;
1. The benefits of new technology and new media and the opportunities offered to build and grow civil society, pressure groups, citizen journalism and networks.
2. The military is a class of its own and has traditionally been hostile to the middle class in Nigeria. They are no longer relevant and hugely discredited; consequently, the space exists for the middle class to assert itself!
3. The patience of the Nigerian middle class has been tested by the failure of the new political class to provide the very basic amenities and services such as stable power, health and educational services. Without the basic services, middle class lifestyle is unsustainable. To ensure their survival, the Nigerian middle class has decided to have a voice.
4. It is important to state that the most significant driving force of middle class values in Nigeria is education. Nigerians are amongst the most educated in Africa and Nigerians in diaspora are recognized to be amongst the most highly educated in their host communities. The next phase of the struggle for emancipation will result in the huge intellectual capital being brought to the fore to enable economic growth and stability as has been achieved in other emerging economies such as Brazil and India where the middle classes have come to occupy the levers of control.
Other than the merging economies such as Brazil and India, more advanced economies such as Germany, France, the USA, etc have thrived and guaranteed the welfare and prosperity of their people and democratic institutions by expanding the middle classes.
The efforts of the Nigerian middle class will not go un-resisted by the new political class and failure to wrest control could well open up the country to anarchy with hoodlums rioting on the streets, a total breakdown of security as is being seen by kidnappings, ethno-religious riots and militancy.
It is for this reason that all those desirous of seeing Nigeria celebrating 50 years of independence truly re-birthed for greatness are challenged to march!
