Hashtags vs Ballots: The Political Reality of Nigerian Youths

 

Funmilola Adediji

Nigeria youths have emerged to be the most vocal participants in Contemporary political discourse. In recent times, they have found their voice on social media, where they are actively involved in commenting on politics, tweeting,  trending topics,  and creating satirical content about the government and the state of the country. They play a significant role in questioning the government. Nigerian youths are quick to speak out whenever they observe injustice, insecurity, or economic hardship, often using social media platforms such as X (Twitter) to express their concerns. Different hashtags in the past years have gone viral on social media, from, tags like #Endsars #Endbadgovernment #Nigeriapolice #Tinubumustgo etc.

These tags were used by Nigerians to voice out their grievances about the sad reality of Nigeria and the terrible state of things in the country. This shows that most youth would rather tweet about things than keep quiet. However, the question remains; to what extent can their social media engagement erupt a change? Beyond the noise and viral hashtags, Nigerian youths must confront a hard truth: social media outrage alone cannot replace the power of the ballot.

During elections or month to election, these comments and hashtags become even more frequent. People have something to say about political candidates on social media. Youths often go as far as searching through the past statements and records of politicians, critically examining them for unfulfilled promises and questionable actions, reflecting  the popular  statement “Internet does not forget”. Propaganda also circulates widely during this period, as youths actively promote what they often describe as “agenda.” Politicians are increasingly scrutinized and criticized on social media, and it often appears that many youths form strong voting preferences ahead of elections, as evident in the 2023 Nigeria general election.

Despite the youths’ political involvement on  social media, there is always a thin line between social media engagement and real life political participation. This raises important questions about the actual power of social media in influencing politics: to what extent do the hashtags, online scrutinizing, and  criticism influence electoral outcome and accountability? This suggests that despite the youth social media visibility the translation of their online activism often translates to limited or no results.

This shows the reality of Nigerian youth who would rather participate in digital activism than actual meaningful offline process. They have information which is power, they are enlightened and not ignorant. Youths can also scrutinise the track records of political contestants to make more informed decisions; however, in most cases, they remain “keyboard warriors” possessing knowledge and opinions online but seldom translating this into real-life political action.  

Hashtags can be persuasive, and reading people’s opinions online can be highly informative, yet the outcome at the ballot box often tells a different story. During most elections in Nigeria, whether at the state or federal level, it is often the less informed citizens and those whose votes can be easily influenced  happen to be the most active participants in the electoral process. In some geographical locations the elders or middle aged cast their vote for people who give them something in return because they are not as informed as the elite who have access to information on social media. Some youths and children who are deprived of education are also exploited as instruments for thuggery and political violence. 

The reasons for the discrepancies between online political engagement and actual electoral participation are varied and are either  based on political behaviour or deliberate political manipulation. Regarding the  political behaviour of enlightened  youth who have access to information on the internet about  Nigerian politics, a notable gap exists between their online activism and physical behaviour based on their subtle apathy or beliefs about election  corruption. This gap is often rooted in subtle apathy, with many youths preferring to criticise the government  than get involved in the electoral process; they do not  believe that their vote can make  any difference. For some enlightened Nigerians, corruption  further discourages them from taking part in the voting process. Many youths perceive that election results are frequently manipulated in favour of certain candidates, leading them to feel that their votes would not count. Additionally, concerns about safety at polling units have further discouraged people from physically participating, a lot of people believe that going out for election in Nigeria is not safe due to the past events of violence.

Despite the subtle apathy and enlightened youth beliefs, one factor cannot be underplayed which is the fact that many youth who are active online; criticizing the government and questioning injustice are very much a partaker in Nigeria elections. A good number of digital activists were involved in the 2023 general election, using video recordings and social media to ensure their votes were counted and to document irregularities during the electoral process. According to INEC 39.65 per cent of voters in the last election were between the ages of 18 and 34. But despite the large participation of informed youths and middle aged in the last election the effectiveness of their votes is often undermined by electoral malpractice which can further negatively influence their future participation. This, however, shows that hashtags, trends, and online commentary alone do not significantly shape Nigerian politics. While many citizens speak up daily and are willing to vote responsibly rather than sell their votes, they often become victims of entrenched negative political patterns in the country.

Nigerian youths have demonstrated remarkable engagement on social media raising awareness and scrutinising politicians, this digital activism does not always translate into meaningful real-world political influence. Therefore, bridging the gap between online participation and real world politics is important to harness the full potential of youth engagement in Nigerian political scene.