By Eunice Orike
Africa Polling Institute’s (API) 2025 social cohesion report has revealed a staggering crisis of trust in Nigeria’s government, with 83% of citizens expressing little to no trust in the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
This is according to the report launched in partnership with the Ford Foundation, which aimed to foster trust between the government and the masses.
The report also found out that 80% of Nigerians distrust the National Assembly, while 79% have little faith in the judiciary.
The executive director of the African polling unit, Prof. Bell Ihua,Speaking at the unveiling which was held in Abuja recently with the theme “Rebuilding Citizens’ Trust and Public Confidence in Government and Public Institutions”, revealed that the report by the Africa Polling institute attributed the low trust levels to the country’s economic challenges, including rising costs of goods and services, high cost of living, insecurity, and poverty.
The findings of this report are a wake-up call for our leaders,” “They need to start listening to the voices of citizens and taking action to address our concerns”, prof Ihua said.
Prof. Ihua urged the government to take immediate action to rebuild trust, including providing security, ensuring that citizens’ lives matter, and implementing policies that address poverty, housing, and other socio-economic issues.
“We need to have a social compact or contract that stipulates what government ought to deliver to the people,” “Citizens need to see government implementing these things and making them possible”, he said.
He said the Africa Polling Institute has been conducting social cohesion surveys annually since 2019.
“This is the fourth round of the survey, and the report’s findings are a stark reminder of the need for urgent action to rebuild trust and promote social cohesion in Nigeria. Rebuilding trust will not be easy, but it is essential for the future of our country,”We must work together to make it happen”, he said.
Prof Ihua expressed optimism that the data sorted from the field would help the government to know the exact situation of the citizens and begin to put policies in place, so that the next round of surveys will show improvements in data.
Speaking in his keynote address, director of the Abuja school of social and political thought, Dr. Sam Amadi, said Nigeria’s diversity is not a liability, but an untapped asset waiting to be leveraged, adding that the key to unlocking this potential lies in embracing a unified national identity.
