Nigeria has been identified as one of the African countries with the widest gap between government policy performance and citizen trust, a disparity described as the continent’s “defining governance crisis” in the inaugural RPI African Policy Index 2025 released by Reputation Poll International (RPI).
The comprehensive Index, which evaluates governance effectiveness across all 54 African nations, places Nigeria in the “Strugglers” category with an overall score of 52.3. Countries in this tier record some measurable policy achievements but fall markedly short of earning public confidence.
Drawing from verified policy data and perception surveys involving more than 25,000 respondents across the continent, the report shows that Nigeria posts one of Africa’s largest Trust Gaps, in some cases with more than a 25-point difference between actual policy delivery and how citizens perceive it.
Nigeria is grouped with South Africa, Angola, Egypt, and Zimbabwe as part of a cluster of countries experiencing the most severe misalignment between government actions and public trust.
According to the Index, Nigeria’s anti-corruption mechanisms and other reform frameworks appear credible in design but fail to resonate with citizens due to persistent elite impunity, selective enforcement, and weak accountability structures.
The report also notes that similar patterns exist across several resource-rich nations, where oil revenues, large-scale infrastructure investments, and progressive laws have not translated into a perception that leaders are acting in citizens’ best interests. RPI identifies this widespread trust deficit as the core governance challenge confronting Africa today.
The Index warns that unless governments take deliberate steps to bridge the divide including transparent data disclosure, citizen-led audits, and stronger institutional oversight; even the most ambitious policy programmes will struggle to achieve legitimacy or deliver lasting social impact.
By contrast, a small group of top-performing countries scoring above 70 demonstrates that effective governance is achievable when policy outcomes align with public belief, reinforcing the critical role of trust in shaping sustainable governance across the continent.
