Economic hardship, the declining value of the naira and the growing pressure on professionals to maintain multiple income sources are weakening community life and undermining participation in voluntary organisations in Nigeria, historian and global scholar, Professor Toyin Falola, has warned.

Falola said the economic pressures confronting the middle class had left many professionals struggling to balance work, family responsibilities, transportation costs and social commitments, making sustained participation in social clubs increasingly difficult.

He spoke while delivering a lecture titled “Globalisation and Social Clubs” at the golden jubilee anniversary of the Ibadan Social Group, where he examined the challenges facing voluntary associations in an increasingly interconnected world.

According to him, declining participation in social organisations should not necessarily be interpreted as a loss of interest or commitment among members, but understood within the context of worsening economic conditions and competing demands on their time.

“The world economy is a mechanism for devouring the hours of working professionals,” he said, citing lengthy commutes in cities such as Lagos and Ibadan and the pressure on workers to sustain multiple income streams.

Falola noted that many middle-class Nigerians now depend on two or three sources of income to maintain their standard of living following the depreciation of the naira.

Referring to the period since 2016, he said the national currency had lost more than 70 per cent of its value against the dollar.

He said the consequences extended beyond household finances, as professionals who spent long hours at work, endured traffic congestion and pursued additional income-generating activities had less time for social engagements.

Illustrating the situation, Falola described how a professional in Ibadan might leave the office late, spend considerable time in traffic and return home to family responsibilities and unanswered messages, while still being expected to attend a club meeting.

He argued that such circumstances made it unfair for social organisations to interpret poor attendance automatically as disloyalty.

“It is neither a lack of morals or a lack of loyalty to the institution that brought about this situation. It is a sensible reaction to the real constraints of economy and time,” he said.

The professor warned that organisations risked misunderstanding the challenges facing their members if they attributed declining attendance solely to waning interest in their activities.

“But the cumulative impact on involvement is corrosive,” he said, noting that the gradual erosion of participation could threaten the relationships and collective commitments that sustain voluntary institutions.

Falola also examined the growing role of digital communication, observing that online platforms offered members a convenient alternative to physical meetings by reducing travel time and other associated costs.

However, he cautioned that convenience did not necessarily provide the depth of interaction required to build lasting relationships and strengthen institutional loyalty.

He urged social clubs to reconsider their traditional methods of organising activities and demonstrate greater value to members in response to changing economic realities.

According to him, the survival of such institutions partly depends on their ability to understand the financial and time constraints confronting members while developing more flexible ways to sustain participation.

Falola maintained that preserving community life required organisations to recognise the pressures on working professionals and find ways to sustain meaningful relationships, solidarity and collective responsibility despite prevailing economic difficulties.