By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new portal called Nigeria Elections Trends Hub has been unveiled by social media giant, Google, for the 2023 general elections scheduled for February and March.
The platform, according to a statement from the firm, will provide an avenue for Nigerians to search and discover trending interests related to the presidential and vice-presidential candidates, parties, and issues through the lens of Google Trends.
It was stated that the page, which can be accessed on the Google Trends website https://goo.gle/NigeriaElectionTrends, allows users to compare the search popularity of the presidential candidates and trending questions being asked about them. The portal features maps and graphs displaying the search interest for the candidates over a period of 30 days.
In the statement, Google said it came up with this idea in support of the 2023 presidential election fixed for February 25.
It is a part of a broader initiative by Google to support the 2023 elections, which also includes trainings for new and media publishers on how to effectively use YouTube to tell election stories and training from the Google News Lab to help journalists learn how to use search and other Google tools for better storytelling, including data visualisation, verification and fact-checking.
As Nigeria celebrates 24 years of democracy in the upcoming elections, Google’s mission to organise and make the world’s information universally accessible and useful is more relevant than ever.
“We want Nigerians to be empowered with information during the upcoming elections, so we’re organising information to make it easy for voters to learn more about the candidates through the eyes of Google Trends,” said Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa.
“More accessible and useful political information improves the political process and leads to greater citizen participation,” Kola-Ogunlade added.
The Nigeria Elections Trends Hub will help voters make more informed decisions at the polls and have a greater voice in the political process.
“We’re empowering voters so that they are not simply watching from afar, but participating, engaging with and shaping the political process in a democratic way,” Kola-Ogunlade further said.
Google said it was committed to making search useful for Nigerians, and the Nigeria Elections Trends Hub is one of many initiatives that we are undertaking to support the 2023 elections, including training for new and media publishers and support for journalists to help them tell more engaging stories.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale