Google search: Tech devices, political drama, viral slang fuel Nigeria’s curiosity in 2025

Nigerians spent much of 2025 turning to Google to make sense of a fast-moving year shaped by political tensions, blockbuster entertainment, cultural quirks and an intense appetite for new tech devices.

Google’s newly released 2025 Year in Search report paints a vivid picture of what captured the nation’s attention: from the iPhone 17 and budget smartphones to the passing of public figures, viral questions and the evolving language of the internet.

Nigeria’s smartphone-hungry population once again demonstrated its obsession with mobile technology, with the iPhone 17 topping the list of most searched devices. The appetite wasn’t limited to high-end gadgets: affordable models like the Tecno Pop 10, Redmi 14C, Redmi 15C, Tecno Spark 40, Redmi A5 and Infinix Note 50 Pro also featured prominently.

The diverse device lineup reflects a market split between premium tech aspirations and budget-driven realities, a pattern consistent with Nigeria’s booming youth population and rising digital participation.

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Google says the device trends underline “how Nigerians use Search to benchmark purchases, compare prices and understand new features before committing.”

Beyond the gadgets, Nigerians used Google as their real-time guide to a year loaded with political drama. Senator Natasha Akpoti emerged as the country’s most searched Nigerian personality, indicating intense public interest in political developments and leadership debates.

The public also turned to Search to process the deaths of national and global figures. Former President Muhammadu Buhari and Super Eagles legend Peter Rufai both triggered huge search spikes, as Nigerians revisited their legacies. Search volumes also surged around the passing of Pope Francis, underscoring the global emotional impact.

Internationally, the Israel–Iran War and the US Elections dominated news-related searches, showing Nigeria’s deepening global awareness.

If politics set the tempo, entertainment supplied the rhythm. Nigerians gravitated strongly toward local creative output in 2025.

Director Kemi Adetiba surged into the top personality charts, powered by the success of her hit series ‘To Kill a Monkey’, which became Nigeria’s most searched local show of the year.

In music, the nation’s interests were split between gospel uplift and Afrobeats vibrancy. ‘Oluwatosin (Jesus Is Enough)’ by Tkeyz featuring Steve Hills was the year’s most searched song, while high-energy tracks like Davido and Omah Lay’s ‘With You’ and Fido’s ‘ Joy Is Coming’ kept dance floors moving and search queries rising.

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The most colourful threads in the 2025 search tapestry came from the endless curiosity about culture and language. Nigerians flooded Google with questions like “What is Labubu?”, making it the top trending query of the year. The term, tied to a global collectible craze, became an internet obsession.

Another phrase, “Achalugo meaning,” gained momentum thanks to the popular YouTube film “Love in Every Word”, while searches for slang such as “Kelebu,” “Sope Purr” and “nepo baby” showed how Nigerians lean on Google to decode online conversations.

The kitchen was not left out. Culinary queries revealed adventurous palates, with searches for Pornstar Martini, Ginger Shots, Chinchin, Sausage Rolls and Asun Rice topping the recipe list.

Commenting on the findings, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, communications & public affairs manager for Google West Africa, described the Year in Search as a vibrant, unfiltered mirror of our collective attention.

“Whether it is tracking the biggest headlines, reflecting on the legacies of icons we lost, or figuring out the latest slang, these lists show Nigerians are using Search to actively engage with the world around them,” he said.

Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.

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