Former President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, and viral toy sensation Labubu topped Nigeria’s Google searches in 2025, according to Google’s Year in Search report released on Thursday.
The annual report highlights the topics, personalities, events, and cultural moments that captured Nigerians’ curiosity throughout the year, offering a snapshot of national interests across politics, entertainment, technology, and lifestyle.
Buhari’s death generated one of the year’s largest online search surges, as Nigerians revisited his political legacy, years in office, and earlier life.
Other prominent deaths, including those of former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter Rufai, Pope Francis, and football star Diogo Jota, also drew strong nationwide attention.
In politics, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan emerged as the most searched Nigerian personality, reflecting heightened public engagement with political developments and her growing national visibility.
Nigerians closely monitored global affairs as well, with the Israel–Iran conflict and the U.S elections ranking among the most searched international topics.
Tech-related queries featured prominently.
The iPhone 17 led device searches, while popular budget-friendly options such as the Tecno Pop 10, Redmi 14C, Tecno Spark 40, and Infinix Note 50 Pro attracted strong interest, underscoring the country’s appetite for both premium and affordable smartphones.
Entertainment trends also shaped search behaviour. Gospel hit “Oluwatosin (Jesus Is Enough)” by Tkeyz featuring Steve Hills was Nigeria’s most searched song of 2025, followed by Fido’s “Joy Is Coming” and Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You.”
In film and television, director Kemi Adetiba ranked high on search lists, boosted by the success of her thriller series To Kill a Monkey, the most searched Nigerian series of the year.
International favourites like Squid Game, Wednesday, and Bon Appétit, Your Majesty also trended.
Viral culture played a major role online, with the question “What is Labubu?” standing as the top search query of 2025 after the toy figure became a nationwide obsession.
Searches for the meanings of slang and buzzwords, including Achalugo, Kelebu, Sope Purr, Ozempic, and nepo baby, reflected Nigerians’ desire to keep up with fast-evolving online language and cultural references.
Food and lifestyle searches showcased a blend of tradition and global influence, as Nigerians looked up recipes for chinchin, ginger shots, pornstar martini, sausage rolls, lasagne, Chinese rice, and asun rice.
Commenting on the report, Google West Africa’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, said the 2025 search patterns reveal a dynamic and engaged online population.
“The 2025 Year in Search is a vibrant reflection of what Nigerians paid attention to from global conflicts and political shifts to new slang and cooking trends,” he said.
Google described the findings as a “vivid, unfiltered mirror of Nigeria’s collective attention,” capturing how the nation explored, reacted to, and interacted with major moments throughout 2025.
