Nigeria's Anti-Corruption Drive: The Social Media and Citizen Engagement Nexus

Abstract

This study investigates the transformative impact of social media on anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria, focusing on the transition from traditional top-down enforcement to decentralized, bottom-up digital activism. It examines how platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and WhatsApp have empowered citizens to bypass institutional gatekeepers and compel state accountability. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the research utilizes digital ethnography and content analysis of major anti-corruption movements, including #EndSARS and #OccupyNigeria. The study is grounded in a multi-dimensional theoretical framework that synthesizes Network Society Theory, Participatory Communication Theory, and the Democratic Accountability Model to analyze the drivers of digital whistleblowing and institutional responsiveness. The research identifies a structural shift in governance, where digital engagement imposes a reputational cost on anti-graft agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC, thereby, compelling institutional decoupling from political constraints. However, the study also reveals systemic vulnerabilities, including the proliferation of epistemic risks (disinformation), digital vigilantism, and an urban-rural oversight asymmetry caused by the digital divide. While social media acts as a catalyst for transparency, its efficacy is limited by the exclusion of non-digital populations. The paper suggests that for digital sovereignty to be achieved, the state must formalize legal safeguards for digital whistleblowers.