A Nigerian journalist and researcher, James Ojo, says many Nigerian youths have poor knowledge of their political leaders.
Ojo made this remark on Thursday while speaking on his findings in a study titled “Comparative Analysis of Online Advocacy for Good Governance and Actual Political Involvement among Nigerian Youths”.
He said that the article was published by the International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR) on December 31, 2025.
“Findings from the study showed that the majority of the respondents did not know their representatives at the 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,” Ojo said.
Speaking further, 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. 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,” the researcher said.
According to him, data for the study were gathered from 385 youths across Nigeria using a structured questionnaire distributed via social media platforms.
He said that the responses were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative research methods.
