A new report has spotlighted the poor digital presence of many Nigerian cabinet members, warning that the government risks losing touch with its citizens in an increasingly online world.
The Social Media Visibility of Nigeria’s Cabinet Ministers in 2025, published by Column, a UK-based communications firm with a growing presence in Nigeria, analysed the social media visibility of ministers across X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. The study found that Nigeria’s cabinet collectively reaches just 17 million followers, barely 7% of the country’s 236 million citizens.
“This report isn’t just about numbers. It’s about presence, perception, and potential,” the report stated. “If the architects of public policy aren’t participating meaningfully in digital spaces, the strategy risks becoming performative.”
Twitter (X) remains the dominant platform, with 51 cabinet members using it to reach 9.4 million followers, more than half of the cabinet’s total digital audience. Facebook and Instagram follow with 4.8 million and 2.1 million respectively. TikTok and LinkedIn are used by just 7 and 17 ministers.
A few high-profile figures dominate the digital landscape: President Bola Tinubu, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, and ministers Muhammad Ali Pate, Festus Keyamo, and Nyesom Wike account for over 60% of the total reach. Tinubu alone controls 26.6% of the cabinet’s entire digital footprint.
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In contrast, some ministers are completely invisible online. Two have no official social media presence at all, while several others have fewer than 500 followers. The median audience per cabinet member is just over 64,000.
Column describes this as a “dependency on a few figures for digital communication,” which undermines the government’s commitment to citizen engagement and transparency.
The report also highlights a worrying trend: ministries with youth-facing or public-oriented mandates, such as Education, Youth, Women’s Affairs, and Information, have some of the weakest digital footprints, despite having the most to gain from active online engagement.
“Ministries tasked with public-facing mandates should be leading the charge online,” the report noted. “When they’re not, it raises questions around accessibility and inclusion.”
Only one minister, Hannatu Musawa of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, was found to be active on all five major platforms.
Beyond visibility, the report flagged issues with account verification and outdated content. At least 22 ministers were missing verified links to their accounts on one or more platforms, and two had no links at all.
The authors call for ministries to treat digital presence as a public service priority, not a luxury. “Visibility is not vanity, it’s a public good,” the report said. “In the digital era, the cost of not being findable is far higher than we often realize.”
With social media users in Nigeria projected to exceed 100 million by 2026, Column warns that without stronger digital engagement, the government risks appearing distant and disconnected.
“The tools exist. The audience is ready. What’s missing is a shift in posture,” the report concluded. “Digital communication is the ongoing work of being visible, responsive, and human.”
