Monday, September 7, 2026

Buhari, iPhone 17, ‘allegedly,’ ‘nepo baby’ top Nigerians’ Google searches in 2025

Google said the Year in Search rankings are based on queries that saw the highest increase in interest compared with the previous year.

• December 16, 2025
Google
Google(Photo Credit:Google Design)

Google’s end-of-year search data revealed the topics that most captured Nigerians’ attention in 2025, with news events, public figures, and entertainment leading the online searches.

From global headlines and celebrity names to viral slangs, music and movies, the data reflects the issues and conversations that made Nigerians curious in 2025

News events 

News topped Nigerians’ searches, led by the World Cup, the deaths of Diogo Jota and Muhammadu Buhari, the Israel–Iran war, and public interest in figures such as Pope Francis, Hulk Hogan, and Natasha Akpoti. Tech interest also spiked around the iPhone 17.

Nigerian personalities 

Nigerians searched extensively for local public figures, particularly politicians, entertainers, and social media personalities. Natasha Akpoti topped the list, followed by Eberechi Eze, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Chika Ike, Mr Eazi, Kemi Adetiba, Hilda Baci, Very Dark Man, and Priscilla Ojo.

Global personalities 

Beyond Nigeria, other global figures such as Viktor Gyokeres, Alejandro Garnacho, Joao Pedro, Aaron Pierre, Tyler Perry, Michele Lamy, Larry Ellison, Kim Sae Ron, Teyana Taylor, and Paul Biya were trending among Nigerian users.

Sports personalities 

Football dominated the sports-related searches, as Nigerians followed players like Gyokeres, Garnacho, Xavi Simons, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Joao Pedro, Eberechi Eze, Andre Silva, Alexander Isak, and Noni Madueke.

Artistes and creatives 

Actors, musicians, and filmmakers also featured heavily, trending like Aaron Pierre, Chika Ike, Juma Jux, Mr Eazi, Kemi Adetiba, Kim Sae Ron, Mavo, Peju Ogunmola, Teyana Taylor, and Fola.

Loss

Searches linked to death and loss ranked high, as Nigerians sought information about popular personalities who passed away in 2025. These included Diogo Jota, Muhammadu Buhari, Charlie Kirk, Pope Francis, Hulk Hogan, Uma Ukpai, Peter Rufai, Sanku, Nkechi Nweje and Doyin Okupe.

Meanings

Nigerians also turned to Google to understand many words and internet trends, searching for meanings of terms such as “Achalugo,” “allegedly,” “labubu,” “kelebu,” “demure,” “Ozempic,” “nepo baby,” and other viral words.

Recipes 

Food-related searches reflected the influence of social media and lifestyle content, with popular searches including the viral pornstar martini, ginger shots, chinchin, sausage rolls, hummus, chickwizz Chinese rice, and asun rice.

Music: songs and lyrics

Music also dominated search activity, with Nigerians looking up songs and lyrics such as “Oluwatosin”, “Joy is Coming,” “With You” by Davido featuring Omah Lay, “Laho” by Shallipopi, as well as “Arike” and “Money” by Teni.

Movies, series and devices 

Film and television searches reflected Nigerians’ interest in both local and international productions, including “Straw,” “To Kill a Monkey,” “Fantastic Four,” “Final Destination,” “Squid Game,” “Wednesday” season two, and “Koleoso.”

Tech searches also trended, led by the iPhone 17, Tecno Pop 10 and Infinix Note 50 Pro.

The top things Nigerians searched for are a mix of news, entertainment, food, and language, highlighting that they balance concern for national and global events with a strong appetite for humour and lifestyle content.

Google said the Year in Search rankings are based on queries that saw the highest increase in interest compared with the previous year, offering a snapshot of the topics, people, and moments that captured Nigerians’ attention in 2025.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Crashed Amazon cargo plane

Economy

Several people killed in Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami airport

Five people died, and five more were injured after an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport, crashing into vehicles and disrupting air travel.

Wildfires

World

World Meteorological Organisation warns wildfires will hamper meeting WHO’s air quality guidelines

WMO on Monday warned that rising pollution from wildfires and heat waves will hamper global efforts to improve air quality and protect human and ecosystem health.

Abuja

Police arrest 10 suspected vandals in Abuja

The police command in Abuja says it nabbed 10 suspects for vandalism across Kubwa, Wuye, and the National Mosque area.

Composite images of Uber, Bolt, inDrive, LagRide

Opinion

Uber’s exit shows Nigeria’s ride-hailing industry has hit a wall

Uber is not leaving because Nigerians stopped booking rides. It is leaving because the economics of ride-hailing in Nigeria broke.

Economy

Nigerians ‘won’t be missing’ Uber as drivers, passengers share ride-hailing experiences

“The market is still here in Nigeria, and I am signed up to other apps. They are basically the same people using different apps,” a driver said.

Karl Von Batten and Bola Tinubu

Opinion

So what if Ikemefuna Okeke is now Karl Von Batten? 

The easiest way to avoid answering an uncomfortable question is to change the subject from what someone did to who he supposedly is.