Study: Many youths don’t know their ward, state/federal representatives

A study by James Ojo Adakole, a Nigerian journalist and researcher, has shown that many Nigerian youths have poor knowledge of their political leaders.

The study, titled “Comparative Analysis of Online Advocacy for Good Governance and Actual Political Involvement among Nigerian Youths”, was published by the International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR) on December 31, 2025.

Findings from the study showed that majority of the respondents did not know their representatives at ward level, state house of assembly, federal house of representatives, and in the senate; both in their states of residence and origin.

The study also found that many youths did not know their local government representatives in their states of origin, although most said they were familiar with their local government chairmen in their states of residence.

In contrast, the study revealed a higher level of awareness when it came to state executives, as most respondents indicated that they knew the governors of both their states of origin and residence.

Speaking on the findings, Ojo said the research was designed to assess whether Nigerian youths’ growing online advocacy for good governance translates into meaningful offline political involvement.

“It should worry us that many young people do not know their political leaders,” he said. “This says a lot about the state of our democracy and the level of political consciousness among the youth. Good governance is anchored on transparency and accountability, but when young people do not even know who represents them, it becomes difficult to demand accountability. There is a clear need for improved civic and political education.” According to him, data for the study were gathered from 385 youths across Nigeria using a structured questionnaire distributed via social media platforms.

The responses were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

ACTIVE ONLINE, ABSENT OFFLINE

Further findings by the study showed that Nigerian youths are actively engaged in online political discussions on good governance, with over half (51.2%) doing so daily, mainly on WhatsApp, followed by Facebook and X.

The most common online activities were commenting on political discussions and sharing governance-related posts.

Despite high online engagement, findings revealed gaps in offline participation. Offline political participation was generally low, as over half (50.1%) had never voted, protested, or attended political rallies. Among those who had participated offline, engagement was irregular, with most doing so only occasionally, while the majority had not joined political parties or attended political training.

“Beyond online advocacy for good governance, the youth need to actively engage in offline political activities to drive real reforms in Nigeria. There’s nothing wrong with online advocacy, but that alone will not bring about good governance in the country. The youth must participate actively in offline political activities, such as voting, attending political rallies, engaging in genuine protests, among others,” the researcher said. The study identified fear of violence as the main barrier to offline participation, followed by lack of interest and distrust in the electoral body, with most youths reporting that they felt unsafe engaging in offline political activities.

The researcher recommended urgent reforms to improve security before, during, and after elections to encourage offline participation of youth in political activities and elevate trust in the electoral system in the country.

Ojo said there is also a need for increased enlightenment of Nigerian youths to improve their understanding of their political leaders.

He also noted that there is need for reforms to restore the confidence of Nigerian youths in the electoral process to enable them to participate during elections.

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