Youth and Online Activism in Nigeria’s Digital Age: Implications of the #EndSARS Movement on Political Participation

Nigeria is blessed with a teeming youth population, yet a combination of factors such as unemployment, endemic poverty and rising cybercrime rates have negatively affected the way the youths are perceived. Therefore, young persons possessing ostentatious items such as clothing, mobile devices and luxury vehicles are viewed as potential criminals, and they suffer harassment, extortion and other human rights violation at the hands of national security agents. Taking to social media, the youth started an online activism campaign that morphed into a social movement. The #EndSARS revolution caught the attention of citizens in diaspora, foreign governments and international organizations, and this put the government under pressure. However, the protests ended abruptly, due to a multiplicity of factors including the government’s attempts to silence the protesters rather than provide solutions to issues raised. While there has been a lot of work done on social media and political participation, the #EndSARS revolution has created a vacuum for studying the effects of online activism, youth identity and conflict on political participation. Using the revolution as a pivot, this paper assessed social media exposure and online activism in Nigeria to understand its effects on political participation. The results provide insight into youth belief in democracy and the future of youth participation in Nigeria.