A new nationwide survey by the Africa Polling Institute (API) reveals that 83% of Nigerians have little or no trust in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The findings, published in the 2025 edition of the institute’s Social Cohesion Survey, reflect deepening public discontent with government institutions.
The poll was based on 5,465 face-to-face household interviews with Nigerians aged 15 and above. Using stratified random sampling, interviews were conducted in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, with geographic quotas ensuring proportional representation across the country’s states and senatorial districts.
According to the report, 53% of respondents said they had “no trust at all” in President Tinubu’s government, while 30% said they had “little trust.”
Distrust extended beyond the executive arm. The National Assembly, under Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, was rated poorly by 82% of respondents, while 79% expressed little or no faith in the judiciary—under both the former Chief Justice Kayode Ariwoola and the current Chief Justice, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
API attributed the alarming levels of distrust to worsening economic conditions, widespread perceptions of corruption, and the government’s failure to deliver on campaign promises.
“The survey findings report growing citizens’ distrust and low public confidence in the government and public institutions,” API stated. “Compared with previous editions in 2019, 2021, and 2022, trust and confidence in public institutions are now at their lowest levels.”
The report underscores the urgent need for political leaders and institutions to rebuild credibility and respond more effectively to the concerns of Nigerians.
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