70% of the Nigerians host the grievances against the government, elite – relationship

Over 70 % of the Nigerians believe that the government and the rich elite of the nation are deliberately misleading and exploiting the citizens, revealed a new report by the Edelman’s Trust barometer.

Lanted in Lagos on Wednesday, the 2025 edition of the Global Trust Survey paints a clear portrait of public perception in Nigeria, in which economic difficulties, insecurity and persistent governance continue to erode institutional credibility.

Tagged “confidence and crisis of the complaint”, the report marks 25 years of monitoring of global feeling in four key institutions: governments, business, NGOs and media. For Nigeria, the results are reassuring.

“Seven out of 10 Nigeriane hold the government against the government, mainly to intentionally surveillance the public,” said Wandile Cindi, Senior strategist and reputation consultant at Edelman Africa, during his key speech during the presentation of the report.

The data also showed that 62 % of the interviewees believe that the rich do not pay their right share of taxes, while 74 % blame the selfishness of the rich for many of the country’s troubles.

Among these frustrations, 52 % of the Nigerians now support hostile activism as a legitimate path to carry out the change, a signal of deepening the civil agitation and the drop in faith in the peaceful reform.

Despite a marginal increase in the country’s overall trusted index from 61 in 2024 to 65 in 2025, government institutions remain the least trusted, with their competence and ethical scores that collapse at -46 and -31 respectively.

“There has been a significant increase in fears related to work, from the automation of offshoring,” said Cindi. “Even the employers, seen for some time as reliable, are facing a drop in trust.”

According to the report, conducted through online interviews with over 33,000 people in 28 countries, including 1,150 Nigerians – the demographic champion was balanced by age, genre, region and ethnicity, with results tested at a level of confidence of 99 %.

The report reveals a worrying increase in the fear of discrimination, with 75 % of the Nigerians expressing concerns for prejudice, a jump of nine points compared to the previous year. This fear crosses the income bands, even among the high earnings.

However, half of the Nigerians are optimistic about the future, a higher rate than many developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.

While confidence in the NGOs, in companies and in the media slightly has improved, the launch experts have underlined that without urgent and ethical reforms in the government, institutional trust will continue to fray.

“Trust can only be reconstructed if the institutions act ethically and competently,” said Cindi. “In Nigeria, NGOs and companies are seen as both. The government must demonstrate results that improve daily life.”

A moderate panel session by the personality of the Media Olive Emodi has seen the leaders of the academic world, companies and the non -profit sector, which have agreed on the fact that resolving the crisis of Nigeria’s trust requires a collaborative and intersectoral action.

AIVWE AIG-SIMUKHUEDE, executive vice-president at the Aig-Siuukhuede Foundation, urged the end of silent thought.

He said “we are very good at complaining but not so good at providing solutions,” he said. “The problems we face cannot be solved by a single group.”

Ikechukwu Obiaya, dean at the School of Media and Communication of Pan-Atlantic University, echoed this, saying: “The complaint is real, but we have to ask ourselves: what role I am playing?

Amaechi Okobi, branded and access officer of Access Holdings communication, underlined the need for empathy and construction of trusted at the basic level.

“When I stopped reporting problems and started offering solutions, people listened. This is what we need most,” he said.

On the reform of the public service, AIG-SIMUKHUEDE has mentioned the work of the Foundation to digitize the Civil Service of Nigeria since 2020.

“The private sector will prospery only when the public sector thrives. Many public employees do not have basic tools: we must fill this gap.”

He also highlighted the importance of data -based liability, indicating the Budgit tracka platform as an example of monitoring guided by citizens who are guiding the real change.

Kwame Senou, executive director of Holding, interrogated the collective identity of Nigeria. “Are we truly a nation or only individuals who live within the borders?” He asked, exhorting a transition from individualism to national liability.

The report also discovered that seven out of 10 Nigerians believe that journalists consciously were aware of the public. By addressing this, Obiaya indicated systemic issues such as the political property of the media and the welfare of poor journalists, especially during the electoral seasons.

In a message of goodwill, the Secretary General of the African Public Relations Association, Omoniyi Ibietan, described the Edelman barometer as a vital diagnostic tool.

“Trust is now a currency of modern leadership,” he said. “Defines the effectiveness of communication, governance and social development”.

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