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Nigeria INTEREST GROUPS AND NATIONAL POLITICS
Organized interest groups played a crucial role in
national
politics, especially under military regimes when other
forms of
direct political participation were prohibited.
Professional Associations
These associations were the most established interest
groups
in the country and included the Nigerian Bar Association
(NBA),
the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Nigerian
Society of
Engineers, the Nigerian Economic Society, and the Nigerian
Political Science Association. Many of these associations
were
mainly concerned with matters relating to the professional
interests of their members. In pursuing professional
concerns,
however, they articulated and demanded important political
actions. Between 1983 and 1985, for example, the NMA
called a
strike of medical doctors to demand an improvement in
health care
delivery. Its leaders were detained and the union banned
until
1986. The NBA has been at the forefront of the movement
for the
observance of the rule of law and human rights in Nigeria.
Most
other associations held annual conferences at which
positions
were taken on national issues. The most distinguishing
characteristics of professional associations were their
elitist
and urban base, and the nonviolent pursuit of their
interests.
Data as of June 1991
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