BY ABIOLA ABIODUN ALABI
The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Report has revealed that most Nigerians do not trust the political class to be trusted holding leadership positions in the country.
The 25th edition of Edelman Trust Barometer, Nigeria Report was launched and presented to the public on the evening of 16 April 2025 at the FourPoints Sheraton Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, at an event organised by Kwame Senou’s The Holding Opinion and Public (THOP).
According to the report, 7 in 10 still fear that Leaders lie as they purposely mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.
The 25th edition of Edelman Trust Barometer, (a data driven initiative), which has “Trust and the Crisis of Grievance” as its theme, also revealed the resentment Nigerians have with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of public and private organizations with strong believe that the rich gets preferential treatment from the government at the detriment of the poor.
It is the belief among the people that government leaders earn legitimate authority when they have a positive impact on my life, and understand what people really need and want
“The majority is convinced that the wealthy take more than their fair share. The wealthy don’t pay their fair share of taxes. The wealthy’s selfishness causes many of our problems, even as discrimination fears spike among men and high-income individuals,” stated the report conducted from 26 October – 16 November 2024 in 28 countries among 33,000+ respondents, with 1,150+ respondents coming from each country.
In Nigeria, the report says business and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are the most trusted institutions in Nigeria, followed by the media, while the government is the least trusted.
“When trust increases, economic optimism overpowers grievances. The institutional failures of the last 25 years have produced grievances around the world, stifling growth and innovation in turn. To lead through this crisis, understand the economic realities of your stakeholders, champion shared interests, and create opportunities for optimism.
“Business, government, media, and NGOs must work together to address the root causes of grievance and enable trust, growth, and prosperity. Invest in local communities, quality information, and job skills and deliver results that benefit everyone fairly. So, when institutions can’t be trusted to do what is right, grievances fester and outlooks darken. To dissipate grievances and increase optimism, for prioritising and rebuilding trust across,” the Report stated.
