Social Movements and Socio-Political Development in Nigeria, 2015–2025

The relationship between social movement and sociopolitical development is organic in it and desirable in its nature. This is more so because the impact of several revolution protest and demonstration on the political system of various society in the world. This study looks at the impact of social movements and socio-political development in Nigeria during the period of 2015 to 2025 with a focus on #EndSARS and Bring Back Our Girls. The study is set against the backdrop of high levels of insecurity and economic difficulties, governance challenges, police brutality and increasing youth civic involvement. It looked at the factors that triggered these movements, their impact on civic and political development, their impact in stimulating government accountability, their impact on policy reforms and their impact on general democratic governance in Nigeria. The socio-political development was assessed based on the following indicators: civic awareness, political participation, institutional responsiveness, accountability, and democratic engagement. A quantitative research design was used in this study and the data was collected using a structured questionnaire to which 360 respondents were targeted, as these areas were key in the protest and civic mobilization in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) during the period of the study. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques like frequency distribution, percentage, correlation analysis and chi-square test were used in analyzing the data. The result showed that most of the issues that motivate social movements in Nigeria are associated with police brutality, unemployment, corruption, insecurity, bad governance and political exclusion. The study also concluded that digital platforms especially social media platforms played a crucial role in the processes of mobilization, awareness-building, and youth involvement in protest mobilisations. Furthermore, a positive relationship was identified between social movements and civic consciousness, political participation and pressure for accountability and policy changes. It was noted in the study, however, that the impact of these movements was limited because of government policies of repression, restricted institutional improvements and the implementation of policy results was inconsistent. The study finds out that despite the positive role played by social movements in promoting socio-political development in Nigeria, their effectiveness is tempered by the structural governance challenges they face in the long term. It thus urges for a greater protection of civic freedoms, for greater institutional responsiveness, for ongoing policy changes and for more youth participation in governance and decision making processes.