Google has unveiled the findings of its 2023 Year in Search for Nigeria, showcasing the most popular searches, notable individuals, actors, musicians, topics, questions, and other subjects that captured Nigerians’ attention throughout the year.

Google’s Year in Search is an annual analysis that reveals the top trending lists and also spotlights what the world searches to see, learn, and do.

In Nigeria, this year’s results show a heightened interest in lifestyle, local politics, and notable personalities such as Moyo Lawal, Peter Obi and Oladipupo Oladimeji, aka Oladips, who topped the trending people’s list for 2023.

Significantly moving up to first place in 2023’s top trending musicians category is Asake, followed closely by singer Khaid and rapper Shallipopi, with Asake’s song “Lonely at the top” also topping the search list of trending songs.

Nigerians were evidently interested in entertainment this year as can be reflected in the search for  “Gangs of Lagos”, “Shanty town,” and “Soso lyrics”, all of which topped the movies, video series and lyrics categories respectively.

Singer Mohbad. Yoruba actor Murphy Alabi and actor and film producer Saint Obi, all of whom passed this year, topped the search list for loss, with Mohbad also topping the category for the most searched Nigerian news topic in 2023.

Other top-searched questions like “Who is the winner of the 2023 presidential election?”, “What is fuel subsidy?” showed how concerned Nigerians were with the political and economic affairs of the country and how Google Search was used to learn more about their interests in 2023.

You can see the full trends 2023 list for Nigeria here and also explore the global trends list here.

It can impact which issues people think are important and even affect election results.

The public often relies on the media for information, so if a source is biased, their audience may adopt that bias as well.

In the 2023 elections, social media was a driving force and led to the creation of the “Obidient” movement. This began when Peter Obi, a popular candidate among the youth, was prevented from winning the People Democratic Party (PDP) ticket. Obi’s young supporters, calling themselves “Obidients,” rallied around him as he ran under the Labor Party.

Peter Obi’s relatable speeches and reputation for frugality and accountability attracted young people. He also impressed them with his ability to recall statistics quickly. Compared to past Nigerian presidents who struggled to connect with the electorates, Obi represented a refreshing change, making the Obidient movement understandable.

As the Obidient movement gained momentum, Peter Obi’s campaign made effective use of social media platforms to engage Nigerian youths.

They shared relatable content, focusing on issues important to them, such as unemployment, education, and corruption. By addressing these concerns, Obi’s campaign successfully positioned him as a candidate genuinely invested in the future of Nigeria and its young population.

Obi’s popularity among young Nigerians, however, caught the attention of mainstream media, which started scrutinizing his campaign and personal history.

As the media began to focus more on his alleged shortcomings and controversies, they shifted the public’s attention away from his policy proposals. This phenomenon is another example of media agenda setting, where news sources can influence public opinion by choosing which aspects of a candidate’s background to emphasize.

Despite facing challenges from the mainstream media, the Obidient movement continued to grow, largely due to its strong presence on social media.

This demonstrated the power of new media in shaping political narratives, as young Nigerians were able to bypass traditional media outlets and access information directly from the source.

In the end, the 2023 Nigerian elections served as a testament to the influence of media agenda setting on public opinion and political outcomes. It highlighted the role that both traditional and new media play in shaping the political landscape and the way people perceive candidates.

While Peter Obi’s campaign faced challenges, the Obidient movement’s ability to connect with young people through social media revealed the potential for new media to challenge established narratives and empower the youth in future elections.

The Obi phenomenon and Trumpism share similarities in their utilization of social media to connect with supporters and bypass traditional media outlets. Both movements gained momentum by resonating with a particular group of people who felt underrepresented or disconnected from mainstream politics. However, the two movements differ in their political ideologies and the issues they focus on. While the Obi phenomenon centered on youth empowerment, economic development, and accountability in Nigeria, Trumpism focused on nationalism, immigration, and economic protectionism in the United States.

In recent years, political campaigns have come to rely on new media tools—particularly social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter—to engage voters and shape the narratives of electoral processes. The Cambridge Analytica scandal is a prime example of this trend.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal was revealed in 2018, when it was discovered that the company had used personal data from Facebook users to influence the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.

Since then, political campaigns have been increasingly scrutinized for their use of digital technology to manipulate public opinion.

One notable difference between the Obi phenomenon and Cambridge Analytica’s activities is that Obi relied on social media as a legitimate means of connecting with Nigerian youths during his presidential campaign, although some will argue he capitalized on the emotions of the masses while Cambridge Analytica used unethical practices such as harvesting personal data without consent in order to manipulate public opinion.

The media can influence public opinion by shaping its agenda. Some people believe that the media’s power to set this agenda is too much, and that it does not reflect the whole truth about political issues.

It could even be argued that the media helps politicians’ control what issues matter to the public, or helps them avoid certain topics so they don’t lose support from their base. What’s more, the media can make something important seem unimportant when it decides not to cover it.

The media plays a large role in every society and culture. They are major sources of information, shaping the opinions of their audiences. It is easier to influence people when they are not actively thinking about something.

With banner ads, rich media and content aggregation being used to attract readers instead, clickbait etc., this phenomenon is more widely spread than ever before.

This could be problematic for the future of our democracy because it gives those with the most money an advantage in elections.

As technology becomes increasingly intertwined with government, there will always be those who wish to create public support for their actions through carefully constructed media agendas.

Meet the Writer:

Tofunmi Akinseye serves as the CEO and Publisher of Savvy Media Africa. She has copywriting and communications experience from her years in the digital marketing department at MTN Nigeria. With her PR company only established about a year ago, Tofunmi has already started working with notable brands, including Filmhouse Cinemas where she led a successful campaign of the West African Premiere of Black Panther Panther. Since graduating from the University of Ibadan, Tofunmi has worked towards creating opportunities for young people to succeed in life. She has and continues to do this through the Savvy Media Edtech Initiative, which has trained over 500 youths, equipping them with skills needed to thrive in the digital age, and partnering with Google, Facebook, StartWebAfrica, amongst others. Her magazine has been graced by notable personalities such as Kunle Afolayan, Niniola, Seyi Shay, Yemi Alade, Patoranking, Annie Idibia, Mike Edwards,Maria Chike Benjamin, Broda Shaggi, Ms Dsf, Kiddwaya and more. Tofunmi’s unwavering belief is that every individual has potential that will manifest if well invested in.

• Peter Obi, INEC, ‘Who is your guy?’ by Spyro, ‘When is Easter 2023’ and ‘How to check my polling unit’ topped trending searches by Nigerians in the first quarter of 2023

A captivating blend of politics, pop culture, and curiosity swept across the Nigerian digital landscape in the first quarter of 2023, as revealed by Google’s top search trends.

Political intrigue reached a fever pitch as Nigeria’s general elections unfolded, captivating the nation’s attention.

Held on February 25th, these pivotal elections determined the president, vice president, members of the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as state governors in 31 out of 36 Nigerian states.

Among the most searched individuals, Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, captured the top spot, outpacing even Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect of Nigeria. Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, claimed the fifth position.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) emerged as the most searched entity between January and March, with Peter Obi and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) closely following. The CBN’s currency redesign prior to the elections undoubtedly contributed to its prominence.

In the realm of music, homegrown talent took center stage as Nigerians avidly sought out the latest tunes. Spyro‘s infectious hit, ‘Who is your guy?’ claimed the top spot, with Ruger‘s ‘Asiwaju‘ and ‘Carry me go‘ by Boy Spyce and Khaid securing second and third places, respectively.

The nation’s collective curiosity was also evident in the top trending questions, which ranged from ‘When is Easter 2023?’ and ‘When is WAEC 2023 starting?’ to ‘How to check my polling unit?’ and ‘Who is the President of Nigeria?’. Unsurprisingly, the popularity of Spyro’s song sparked the question, ‘Who is your guy?’, further showcasing Nigeria’s deep-rooted love for the tune.

Here are the complete lists of top trending searches reflecting the diverse interests of Nigerians during the first quarter of the year:

Search trends information is gleaned from data collated by Google based on what Nigerians have been searching for and asking Google.

Google processes more than 40, 000 search queries every second. This translates to more than a billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide. Live Google search trends data is available here.

The top three trending people in Nigeria in the first half of the year are Peter Obi, Putin and Bianca Ojukwu.

Peter Obi is a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as the Governor of Anambra State three separate times from 2006 to 2014.

He is currently the Labour Party nominee for President of Nigeria in the 2023 presidential election. 

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President also grabbed the attention of Nigerians in the first six months of this year as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine became topical across the globe.

Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of late Biafran warlord, Chukuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu also led search interest by Nigerians when she slapped Ebelechukwu, the wife of immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano.

A second famous slap comes in at number five on the list of top trending people, after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March.

AFCON 2022 topped the list of most searched moments between January and June. Senegal beat Egypt in the final match of the African Cup of Nation (AFCON) football competition to emerge as the winner. 

The ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that has seen the majority of Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions stay out of classes for five months is also a top moment that captured the interest of Nigerians online.

Top of the list of notable deaths is the death of popular Nigerian Gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu. She was allegedly killed by her husband in a case of domestic violence.

The death of another gospel singer, Chinedu Nwadike, was the second most searched death for Nigerians.

The song, Buga, by Kizz Daniel and Tekno is the number one trending song in the period under review.

Blood sisters, a Nigerian series on Netflx starring Nancy Isime and Ini Dima-Okojie topped the list of top trending movies and TV Series by Nigerians from January to June 2022.

Olu Jacobs, the veteran Nollywood actor who recently celebrated his eightieth birthday  leads the list of top trending actors in Nigeria while Raheem Sterling’s journey from Manchester City to Chelsea FC led him to be the number one trending sports personality in Nigeria.

Take a look at the full lists of top trending searches for the first half of 2022 below:

Search trends information is gleaned from data collated by Google based on what Nigerians have been searching for and asking Google. Google processes more than 40, 000 search queries every second.

This translates to more than a billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide. Live Google search trends data is available here.