Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Middle Class? Not!

Solomonsydelle writing on his blog Nigerian Curiosity is skeptical about calling Nigeria a middle class country. What does other data say about the economic status of Nigerians?

NIGERIA JOINS MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES
When the World Bank last classified countries along income lines in 2007, Nigeria was listed as a low income country. However, the latest classifications have now come out in the Migration And Remittances Factbook 2011, and Nigeria is now considered a middle income country.

I am happy to learn that Nigeria has moved from low-income to middle-income. While it suggests that more people are doing better financially, I find it hard to believe that this is indeed the case… The average Nigerian could not have moved up a category considering that many still do not have electricity, must travel on bad roads and remain burdened with 'leaders' who serve their pockets and not those of their constituents.

[T]he only people I know that are making more money are politicians and their friends. Many have gone from millionaires to multi-billionaires and their money is in shadowy, untraceable bank accounts around the globe. Unfortunately, that wealth does not impact Nigerians and given the country's track record, something tells me it never will...

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