INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON NIGERIAN STUDENTS' POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AWARENESS (A STUDY OF ABRAHAM ADESANYA POLYTECHNIC, IJEBU-IGBO, OGUN STATE)

ABSTRACT In an era where political information increasingly circulates through digital spaces, students’ understanding of political leadership is being shaped in ways that are both immediate and complex. Yet, concerns persist regarding whether such exposure genuinely deepens awareness or merely amplifies fragmented and unreliable knowledge. This study investigated the influence of social media on Nigerian students’ political leadership awareness, focusing on students of Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic, Ijebu-Igbo, and was anchored in Agenda-Setting and Uses and Gratifications theories. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with a stratified random sample of 378 students drawn from a population of 6,913; 369 valid responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and independent samples t-test at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed high levels of social media use and frequent exposure to political content, alongside a relatively strong awareness of political leaders at national and state levels, though weaker at the local level. A significant positive relationship was established between social media exposure and political leadership awareness, with more engaged students demonstrating higher awareness. However, challenges such as misinformation and content bias were evident. The study concludes that social media plays a critical yet ambivalent role in shaping political awareness, and recommends strengthened digital literacy, credible information dissemination, and improved regulation of online political content. Keywords: Awareness, Engagement, Leadership, Social media, Students