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The Middle and Political Transformation In Nigeria: A Critical Appraisal Of The Role Of Asuu and Nba
Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, many African countries have come to the conclusion that, political transformation is an inevitable process of attaining political and economic development. This process, is expected to engender economic growth, guarantee their citizens’ unfettered access to good governance and sustainable democracy. In order to achieve these objectives, many African countries have embarked on deliberate reforms of basic state institutions like the judiciary, the Police, the education sector, the oil and gas sector, the banking industry, the aviation industry, the electoral process, as well as the legal system. In these transformations, many state actors and non-state actors have participated nationally and internationally in order to ensure that African countries are re-democratized. With concrete empirical data and qualitative interviews, this paper argues that, the middle class in Nigeria, has been very central to hitherto Nigeria’s political progress. The paper argues that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) are some of the forces behind the current Nigeria’s political change. The paper avers that, despite its contributions to national development, the middle class has remained one of the most marginalized classes in the federation.
Key Words: Middle Class, Political Transformation, State, Nigeria, ASUU, NBA