₦airaland Forum

aaronson:
Wow, There's a lot of ignorance on this thread, So this my people don't even understand class struggle, Ok let me break it down.

There are always 3 classes in a social strata, The upper, middle and lower.

*There upper class are the politicians who don't work but enjoy political extortion and loot via thier political office, to them looting is like a perk of office.

*The Middle class are the business owners of any society. Whether you Dangote or Emeka and sons ltd and you happen to employ somebody, that automatically pushes you to the Middle class status.

* The Lower class are people like us always looking for jobs, from the highest earning staff in NNPC, Banks etc to the lowest earning staff at your various company are all in the same category of lower class because the day they SACK you. It's back to squar you or nothing. Karl Marx calls these set of people, the proleterait


This is what Upper, middle and lower class means according to Karl Marx. Now the American society is more of middle class society because they are many business owners than Nigeria. Here in Nigeria(The best country in the whole world anticlockwise), There are more people working regularly job than starting thier own business hence putting us in a lower class society strata.

May our Brain help us not God because am Atheist so i believe in thinking than skydaddy.

All you ended up writing is gibberish, garnished with loads of chest-beating. You boasted unnecessarily about your atheism without making much sense.
There's no place in the world where the likes of Dangote will be classified as 'middle class'. He's a capitalist and even Karl Marx classified successful capitalists as Bourgeoisie (this is of the same level as Upper class). Read up the same Karl Marx's work you quoted again before writing stuffs here. Many of us are educated and won't take your words hook, line and sinker.

By the way, what is the correlation between atheism and intelligence? Well, your atheism should, at least, teach you the difference between 'I'm' and 'Am', the right punctuation marks to use the next time, etc. If not, stop bragging about your pseudo-intelligence.

Mizwisdom:
I had lost hope of reading something sensible here but thanks for this, we haven't totally lost it, we've still got some sensible people

Sorry, but his post doesn't make any sense. Read up the Karl Marx's work he quoted to see for yourself.
He's just one of the many pseudointellectuals we've on NL. They'll write rubbish in such a beautiful way that you'll be convinced they're making sense. Alas, they're not.

Gerrard59:
Actually, the middle class in Nigeria exists but with wide variations. I will divide them into lower middle class, mid middle class and upper middle class. What constitutes these classes, I cannot formulate. However, I postulate that majority of the folks in the mid and upper middle classes are relocating to places where things work and the system is running efficiently.

Middle class individuals in Nigeria don't actually enjoy their "earnings or wealth" per se due to the double expenses they incur in trying to maintain their living standards. Is it the schools you pay humongous fees? Health care costs that can plummet your savings? Security levies to all sort of folks? High prices of healthy foods? Typical Farm Fresh yogurt costs 1,500# for the 150cl bottle, now imagine drinking it for five consecutive days coupled with refrigerating expenses? Whereas same yogurt will not cost same in sane places due to the low cost of production borne by the dairy firm. Or paying mechanics weekly to maintain cars which are not necessarily bought for comfort but to avoid the inefficient public transport system? Remember, I've not mentioned the continuous fueling of generators which takes a huge chunk of discretionary income?

OP, the middle class whether lower, mid or upper are paying so much to live a better and longer life in a place where the expentancy rate plummets rather than rises. It is why folks are fleeing in drovers to where things work. People mention taxes but forget these same individuals are taxed in Nigeria sometimes exorbitantly and even double considering paying for fueling and vigilantes.

So we have middle class folks in Nigeria, but they are not enjoying their statuses.

This is the only post that's reasonable here.

We've middle class in Nigeria, but it's rapidly dwindling. Most top executives at government agencies and international/multinational organizations, for example, belong to the middle class. Same thing with some professionals like medical consultants, professors and so. All these people fall under the upper level of the middle class.
Then we've people who are doing very okay financially, have a few properties, and can afford to give their family most of the things they want, but lack a few luxury items and can fall off the middle class if any serious disaster occurs. Those ones belong to the lower end of the middle class.

Their still are but is declining at a rapid pace either they become poor or they emigrate to greener pastures to Canada

I remember when people used to resign their jobs abroad to come home and pick a job in naija

And we thought naija was bad then

Imagine

abnot:
Some people have never seen anything good in Nigeria and will go to any length to put down the country. Don't get me wrong I'm not immune to the challenges but going by your contribution one can also say 70% of the world lives in poverty. While I don't know much about the OP I can deduce that he/she is one of the numerous Nigerians who equates money to everything. Let's assume you dont know . More than 50% of american adults don't have up to $5,000 in savings or investments. OP talks about cars (possessing 2 cars) which further shows that he/she knows not much outside the facet of Nigeria where cars are one of the parameters used in judging the wellness/comfort ability/class. In first and second world nations ( USA/Canada/UK/Germany/RSA/Singapore) cars are marketed all over the media with all kinds of offers (zero interest for six months/ 5 year monthly payment plan/ leasing options/ trade in options and other financing deals). With $1,000 pay-down I can drive a new car out of the lot after agreeing to some terms with the dealership. You don't own the car till you finish paying for it which can take as long as 5 years in some case. Two to three consecutive default payments could see the dealership get a court order to repossess the car. In Nigeria most people pay-down the full cost of the car (100%) which is one of the reasons used cars are more prevalent coupled with the high cost of importing a car.
On the other hand, I have not met any american during my 4 years stint as a college student who bought their home out rightly without a mortgage plan. They dont own these homes till after 10-15-35 years (depending on the payment plan). With the middle class standard you have set I'm keen to know how many of these cars and houses you have acquired and how much you have pilled up in your account. I have lived in two first world countries and have visited a couple of others dominated by the middle class and most of the inhabitants of these countries dont even have $10,000 in savings. These countries are far more expensive than Nigeria. My housing cost about ten years ago in a shared room is more than what I pay today as rental in Lekki and I am more comfortable (in terms of housing) now than then. A friend of mine rented a 2-bed apartment for about 5.2M per annum somewhere in victoria island. After 6 years he moved back to USA and was paying $4,250 monthly for a one bed apartment in midtown manhattan. He didn't own the house and he had one car. By your definition he is in the lower class but yet he moved to NYC to attend business school and still lived a middle class life in USA with the resources earned here in Nigeria. May be you should also move to a first world country and see if you cant fit into the middle class immediately.

What then is your answer to the OPs question? Are there still the middle-class in Nigeria?

Yujin:
What then is your answer to the OPs question? Are there still the middle-class in Nigeria?

I believe there is an expanding middle class in Nigeria . Most of the young people you find living in VGC, Lekki , Oniru and agungi are in the middle class.

abbey621:
I was born in Nigeria grew up in Mushin, went to the university in Ogun state but I've also lived in America for almost a decade now. I have multiple properties and while I am considered middle class in America, in Nigeria I'm way beyond what anyone would call middle class.

My analysis comes from the point of view of working Nigerians and what it takes to live comfortable in Nigeria. It is from the lense of a Nigerian hence the standard abroad does not apply. An average mortgage in America is about $200k, that is about 70 million Niaira and you're right most Americans cannot afford that outright hence mortgage but you have to keep in mind Americans are also inherently more lavish than Nigerians. They spend on unnecessary things from more than 5 tv streaming subscriptions, to making sure they eat 3 imes a day even when they are not hungry. Let's not forget every holiday they spend money to buy things they don't really need and most of them could care less about saving for their children or grandchildren. Middle class in Nigeria can NEVER have the same definition as middle class in the USA or even the UK, if we don't stop comparing ourselves with standards set for abroad we would always fall short. I make about $100,000 a year after taxes and if I spent like the average American I would not be able to save 1/4th of what I save now, which I find ridiculous! My savings have allowed me to invest in Nigeria, if I simply invested in the U.S, I would have to wait till I'm over 60 to start enjoying my retirement.

I believe there is an expanding middle class in Nigeria . Most of the young people you find living in VGC, Lekki , Oniru and agungi are in the middle class. I could afford all these things you’ve mentioned even when I was a youth corp member with short term contract positions here and there. I maintained irokoTv and Netflix subscriptions, I ate out at least once a day , partied almost every weekend, watched soccer at lounges and went on vacation about twice annually. By the time I started working full time I had been to most of the cities in Europe which was probably one of the cultures in learnt in the west (vacation every now and then). I also had a car before I started working in naij. But I never had 10 million naira in my account or owned a house . I believe I was already in the middle class (by Nigerian standard ) as a youth corp member with temporary freelancing jobs here and there. One of the contributors even went as far as classifying Dangote as a potential middle class in west lol . Africa’s wealthiest capitalist cannot be a middle class citizen anywhere in the world . I’ve found it easier to save money and still live well in Nigeria than USA. Nigeria is cheap and I don’t need as much money as an American will need to live decently due to variation in cost of living in both societies. The American culture has got its citizens more individualistic than most Africans . Consequently Americans tend to spend on themselves and only themselves . Most American kids have their college education funded via financial aids even if their parents could afford it. On the other hand Nigerians ( both middle and upper class)?spend a substantial amount of their income giving out to relatives, friends, church or hosting one event or the other. Difference in culture explains that not the absence of middle class . No society lacks a middle class .

I think if u earn

less than 100k per mth u 're a lower class.

150-500k is middle class

500k to 1M is upper class

1M and above is elites...

Middle class is where most civil servants and teachers belong to in Nigeria plus others.

abnot:
I believe there is an expanding middle class in Nigeria . Most of the young people you find living in VGC, Lekki , Oniru and agungi are in the middle class. I could afford all these things you’ve mentioned even when I was a youth corp member with short term contract positions here and there. I maintained irokoTv and Netflix subscriptions, I ate out at least once a day , partied almost every weekend, watched soccer at lounges and went on vacation about twice annually. By the time I started working full time I had been to most of the cities in Europe which was probably one of the cultures in learnt in the west (vacation every now and then). I also had a car before I started working in naij. But I never had 10 million naira in my account or owned a house . I believe I was already in the middle class (by Nigerian standard ) as a youth corp member with temporary freelancing jobs here and there. One of the contributors even went as far as classifying Dangote as a potential middle class in west lol . Africa’s wealthiest capitalist cannot be a middle class citizen anywhere in the world . I’ve found it easier to save money and still live well in Nigeria than USA. Nigeria is cheap and I don’t need as much money as an American will need to live decently due to variation in cost of living in both societies. The American culture has got its citizens more individualistic than most Africans . Consequently Americans tend to spend on themselves and only themselves . Most American kids have their college education funded via financial aids even if their parents could afford it. On the other hand Nigerians ( both middle and upper class)?spend a substantial amount of their income giving out to relatives, friends, church or hosting one event or the other. Difference in culture explains that not the absence of middle class . No society lacks a middle class .

You're still confusing yourself. I never said there was no middle class in Nigeria, in fact my analysis proves otherwise. Anyone can be considered middle or upper class when parents are still funding them. As a youth corper, I doubt you supported yourself fully hence you had no class. Even most of the ones living in VGC, Lekki and so on are depending on their parents' incomes until they establish themselves fully. Based on your own analysis, traveling most of Europe, going on vacations, you had a car, ate out almost everyday and NETFLIX, I would say you are part of the newer generation whose parents were already in the wealthy classification and that influenced your lifestyle. An average Nigerian does not indulge in most of the things you mentioned on a regular basis and most definitely not as a youth corper....lol

abbey621:
You're still confusing yourself. I never said there was no middle class in Nigeria, in fact my analysis proves otherwise. Anyone can be considered middle or upper class when parents are still funding them. As a youth corper, I doubt you supported yourself fully hence you had no class. Even most of the ones living in VGC, Lekki and so on are depending on their parents' incomes until they establish themselves fully. Based on your own analysis, traveling most of Europe, going on vacations, you had a car, ate out almost everyday and NETFLIX, I would say you are part of the newer generation whose parents were already in the wealthy classification and that influenced your lifestyle. An average Nigerian does not indulge in most of the things you mentioned on a regular basis and most definitely not as a youth corper....lol

We disagree to agree. My parents weren’t wealthy although they also weren’t poor but I already had projects I was working on as a youth corp member independent of parents or friends which made my reliance on the the youth corp funding quite minimal. I used those projects as an opportunity to move to naij and undertake the youth corp program as I was made to understand that it was a kind of work permit for nigerians who had completed a college degree. There were a substantial number of youth corp members I knew who were working temporarily in McKinsey, GE, oando, Thomson Reuters.... They were also in the middle class . So yea youth corp members can be classed depending on the opportunities they have as youth corp members .Your standards are high though (10M in the piggy bank lol).

abnot:
I believe there is an expanding middle class in Nigeria . Most of the young people you find living in VGC, Lekki , Oniru and agungi are in the middle class. I could afford all these things you’ve mentioned even when I was a youth corp member with short term contract positions here and there. I maintained irokoTv and Netflix subscriptions, I ate out at least once a day , partied almost every weekend, watched soccer at lounges and went on vacation about twice annually. By the time I started working full time I had been to most of the cities in Europe which was probably one of the cultures in learnt in the west (vacation every now and then). I also had a car before I started working in naij. But I never had 10 million naira in my account or owned a house . I believe I was already in the middle class (by Nigerian standard ) as a youth corp member with temporary freelancing jobs here and there. One of the contributors even went as far as classifying Dangote as a potential middle class in west lol . Africa’s wealthiest capitalist cannot be a middle class citizen anywhere in the world . I’ve found it easier to save money and still live well in Nigeria than USA. Nigeria is cheap and I don’t need as much money as an American will need to live decently due to variation in cost of living in both societies. The American culture has got its citizens more individualistic than most Africans . Consequently Americans tend to spend on themselves and only themselves . Most American kids have their college education funded via financial aids even if their parents could afford it. On the other hand Nigerians ( both middle and upper class)?spend a substantial amount of their income giving out to relatives, friends, church or hosting one event or the other. Difference in culture explains that not the absence of middle class . No society lacks a middle class .

I really don't what u driving at by your individualistic comparison....
How many Nigerians live in VI or ikoyi....
how many Nigerians can afford a 4.5m naira rent......
Those houses in lekki resemble where an average Nigerians live.....

Middle class simply mean the lifestyle of an average citizen in a country....

It doesn't matter if the mortgage in developed countries is 200 thousand dollars, the question is can an average citizen afford the mortgage...
5 or 6 years instalmental payment plan for a car is irrelevant so long as the average citizen can afford to take the plan and own a car...

The ability to afford the basic necessities and comfort of life is the definition of middle class....
Luxurious lifestyle is for the upper class....

Middle class has very little to do with income or wages because purchasing parity n cost of living differs in every country...
Moreover economic system differs btw developed n developing....

The koko is what can your average citizen afford within the economic system available to them....

In nigeria, what's the worth of an average citizen in comparison to cost of living- that's the question on this thread, not some baseless comparison with middle class abroad....
For a country to boast of a viable middle class, at least 50-60% of its working population must be in the group....
In Nigeria, it's the lower class n the poverty class that's swelling at an alarming rate......

What's happening right now in nigeria is simple....
Only the upper class seems to be enjoying the country while the thinning middle class are relocating to Canada.....
Professionals n civil servants who constitute the bulk of middle class in nigeria are not finding it funny due to irregular salary payment by employers....

Bragging about upper class is useless...
every country, no matter how poor has upper class...

The funny thing is u even comparing the upper class in nigeria to middle class in America....
Upon all the noise n the oil wealth, the Nigerian upper class in nigeria is not even up 50 thousand compared to 14 million in the USA....

Abeg make we dey reason am o....
Nigeria is more than lekki and maitama....
Nigeria is not easy at all despite crude oil at 70 dollars per barrel...
Only God knows what will happen when crude oil inevitably becomes useless.....

abnot:
We disagree to agree. My parents weren’t wealthy although they also weren’t poor but I already had projects I was working on as a youth corp member independent of parents or friends which made my reliance on the the youth corp funding quite minimal. I used those projects as an opportunity to move to naij and undertake the youth corp program as I was made to understand that it was a kind of work permit for nigerians who had completed a college degree. There were a substantial number of youth corp members I knew who were working temporarily in McKinsey, GE, oando, Thomson Reuters.... They were also in the middle class . So yea youth corp members can be classed depending on the opportunities they have as youth corp members .Your standards are high though (10M in the piggy bank lol).

Average youth corper is not working temporarily for Oando or Reuters, just acknowledge that your parents assisted you in getting the necessary exposure and resources to move above the average youth corper. An average youth corper in Nigeria has not traveled the world, an average youth corper is not working on mulitple projects. This is the reality unfortunately, so if you only use your experience or the experience of a few friends you know then you are not being objective enough. While you might not have 10 million in your bank account, when you calculate your ticket fare, the amount you spend on entertainment, hotels etc, you've probably spent close to that. 10 million for middle class is actually quite achievable in Nigeria due to so many deals beyond the average salary but then again that's just my point of view so we can agree to disagree like you said

What of small indicators like car/vehicle ownership? What is car ownership like in Nigeria; for instance, is there a rough estimate for number of cars in Nigeria? what is the likelihood for individuals on 2 dollars a day owning a car, keke or motorcycle; is car ownership beyond individuals in Nigeria loosely considered middleclass in the estimation?

You see, Nigeria roads give the impression of being full of cars, motorcycles and keke.

Originalsly:
Sooo on point....defining the classes. No doubt... the middle class been merging with the lower class....and even faster when the currency began to slide. Then the buying power becomes weaker since salaries aren't adjusted to counter inflation. The middle. lass now find it difficult to afford the basic needs...so just like that...they're out of middle class bracket.

Very apt point. Inflation being the key word here, the continuous rise in inflation doesn't reflect on the income of the middle class, and as you rightly said "they're beginning to merge with the lower class". What is a middle class that finds it difficult to pay rent on time, buy sufficient food, or even fuel a car or board the commercial bus.
The income gap continues to widen and the government ain't serious about it. Better conditions for the middle class leaves hope for the lower class.

abnot:
I believe there is an expanding middle class in Nigeria . Most of the young people you find living in VGC, Lekki , Oniru and agungi are in the middle class. I could afford all these things you’ve mentioned even when I was a youth corp member with short term contract positions here and there. I maintained irokoTv and Netflix subscriptions, I ate out at least once a day , partied almost every weekend, watched soccer at lounges and went on vacation about twice annually. By the time I started working full time I had been to most of the cities in Europe which was probably one of the cultures in learnt in the west (vacation every now and then). I also had a car before I started working in naij. But I never had 10 million naira in my account or owned a house . I believe I was already in the middle class (by Nigerian standard ) as a youth corp member with temporary freelancing jobs here and there. One of the contributors even went as far as classifying Dangote as a potential middle class in west lol . Africa’s wealthiest capitalist cannot be a middle class citizen anywhere in the world . I’ve found it easier to save money and still live well in Nigeria than USA. Nigeria is cheap and I don’t need as much money as an American will need to live decently due to variation in cost of living in both societies. The American culture has got its citizens more individualistic than most Africans . Consequently Americans tend to spend on themselves and only themselves . Most American kids have their college education funded via financial aids even if their parents could afford it. On the other hand Nigerians ( both middle and upper class)?spend a substantial amount of their income giving out to relatives, friends, church or hosting one event or the other. Difference in culture explains that not the absence of middle class . No society lacks a middle class .

It's quite obvious that you are oblivious of the current situation in Nigeria.

Slimpotter:
Very apt point. Inflation being the key word here, the continuous rise in inflation doesn't reflect on the income of the middle class, and as you rightly said "they're beginning to merge with the lower class". What is a middle class that finds it difficult to pay rent on time, buy sufficient food, or even fuel a car or board the commercial bus.
The income gap continues to widen and the government ain't serious about it. Better conditions for the middle class leaves hope for the lower class.

atimes i wonder if being unsympathetic or wicked is a quality of leadership. From time immemorial leaders have always been wicked. in time past, some leaders as a way of executing the people they are ruling skinned, boiled, fried, grilled, tortured, impaled their citizens in the most brutal and ruthless manner.

Twoclans:
No it is not .

You are either poor or rich .

Of course it still exists. A lot of families in the FCT belong to that class. Some families in Kubwa, Lugbe and so on.

When one has a car or two... Lives in an apartment of about 800k and can afford to fly when going from Abuja to PH, but not always.

I'm not sure you are rich. And you are surely not poor either.