CARE Nigeria's Abdu Calls for Middle Class Action Ahead of 2027

Dr Hussaini Abdu, the Country Director of CARE Nigeria, warned that the Nigerian middle class is undermining collective action by seeking private solutions to public service failures instead of holding the government accountable. Speaking at the eighth annual public lecture of the Just Friends Club of Nigeria (JFCN) in Abuja, Abdu noted that while the middle class has not disappeared, it has lost the necessary vibrancy to drive social and political change.

He highlighted that many middle-class Nigerians are more focused on personal interests, using private alternatives like generators and private schools, rather than addressing societal issues. Abdu criticized the declining vibrancy of professional associations and the lack of collective action among residents, who often discuss grievances online but fail to mobilize.

He also questioned the role of humanitarian organizations in potentially allowing the government to withdraw from its responsibilities. During the event, Prof Benard Ifeanyi Odoh, the New Democratic Congress candidate for Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, urged greater electoral participation, noting that only 26 percent of Nigerians voted in the 2023 general election.