TOP 5 PEOPLE WHO TRENDED IN NIGERIA IN 2021

A Look at The Most Prominent People Nigerians Looked Up

It’s Thursday and we’re going to do a throwback, using Google as we’ve done before. Every now and then we post on items that trended on Google last year across various categories. The categories we’ve covered so far are:

1. Top 5 Athletes
2. Top 5 Movies
3. Top 5 Deaths

The lists given by Google are not a result of search volume for the year, but of a spike and increase in search frequency compared to previous years.

This time, we look at the interesting people who Nigerians took the most interest in over the course of 2021. The list is given below:

5. Nnamdi Kanu

Nnamdi Kanu, or Mazi Nnamdi Okwu Kanu is a British-Nigerian political economist and activist. The 54-year-old indigene of Abia, SE Nigeria, is the founder and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra movement, popularly known as IPOB. He has long been advocating for the liberation and secession of Biafra or South-East Nigeria from the country on the basis of marginalisation and unfair treatment of her people on a national scale.

This agitation has put him in the bad books of the Nigerian government. He had been branded as a public enemy and for a long time was declared wanted as an enemy of the state. He was finally arrested in Kenya on the 27th of June, 2021, and was charged with treasonable felony.

His arrest and trials in court caused major traffic on the internet and did enough to land him on this list.

He still remains in government custody despite the court ruling in Abia state that declared his arrest unlawful and directed a compensation of ₦1 billion be paid for violation of his fundamental human rights.

4. Romelu Lukaku

The flat track bully finally returned to West London side, Chelsea after 10 years in a £98 million deal. The first position on the Athletes list and now 4^th, the Big Rom is almost everywhere.

 The European champions were without an effective no 9 and German manager, Thomas Tuchel, who is actually on the Top 10 athletes list, pushed for the Belgium all-time record goal scorer, who scored 24 league goals for the Italian champions. The negotiations dragged on for long, but in the end, Lukaku returned, being the club’s most expensive signing ever. Unfortunately, the deal hasn’t proved to be a profitable one, as the striker has struggled to get in among the goals, enduring a horrible season, which he made worse by openly revealing his desire to return back to Inter.

He finally got his wish in June, returning to Inter, and has hit the ground running. Chelsea fans feel robbed and have marked him as an enemy, but the Internazionale faithful don’t mind.

His transfer hype was good enough to place him on this list at the 4^th spot in Nigeria.

3. Sunday Igboho

Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho is a Nigerian businessman, political activist, and philanthropist. The Akoni OOdua of Yorubaland, he rose to national prominence in 2021 when he advocated for the defense of the Yoruba people against attacks from suspected Fulani herders.

The indigene of Oyo state notably started his career as an activist in Osun state due to his part in the Modakeke/Ife war between 1997 and 1998.

Like Nnamdi Kanu, he was accused of threatening the peace and unity of the country and was arrested, this time in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

He has been released since March 2022 but has been mandated to remain in the country.

2. Obi Cubana

Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, is a Nigerian socialite, entrepreneur, and businessman. Hailing from Oba in Anambra state, he is the chair of the Cubana group.

A graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he started his entertainment and nightclub career in 2006 when he founded Ibiza nightclub in Abuja.

The biggest talking point which made him go super viral in 2021 was the burial ceremony of his mother, late Ezinne Iyiegbu. The colourful event was well attended by popular figures in Nigeria, including musicians, comedians, politicians, and even the now arrested former police officer, Abba Kyari.

The ceremony was most notable for the lavish display of cash sprayed at the occasion. The display was tagged as a fitting send-off for the deceased while others felt it was a suspicious show-off and called for investigations into his source of wealth. There were also reports of thefts at the venue of the event.

1. Tiwa Savage

Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and actress, the multi-talented diva is top of the list. Number 1 African bad girl, Tiwatope Savage appeared in the Nigerian music and entertainment space in 2010, when she released her debut single “Kele Kele love”.

The Isale Eko indigene of Lagos state moved to London at the age of 11 to continue her studies and got into music while there. The 42-year-old has since grown into a household name in the music industry, thanks to major hit songs like “Eminado”, “Oyi remix”, “Dorobucci”, “Love me”, and “49-99”.

She has worked with numerous local and international acts in her career.

She made the search engines in 2021 due to her father’s death, her altercation with fellow artiste, Seyi Shay, and her sex tape allegation which had the internet space buzzing, especially in gossip columns.

Well, she’s top of the list and that’s about that for the list. Feel free to comment, share and of course follow us on the blog and our social media platforms.

Stay smart!