Google Trends reveal rising anxiety over scheme

Mr Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for Anglophone West Africa made the announcement in Lagos on Thursday.

He said the search on NYSC was trending from Oct. 12 to Oct. 19.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Google Trends, launched in May, 2006 allows one to see how popular search terms and their demography have been over time on Google.

“Google search for the NYSC hiked up when the agency announced its plans to mobilise only 35 per cent of eligible graduates for the next batch of the 2016 Batch B orientation.

“NYSC says some graduates will not be called `Otondo’ due to a lack of funds,’’ Kola-Ogunlade said.

'Otondo' is a slang used to refer to corps members, who are not able to keep up with daily physical exercises during the orientation period.

The Google spokesman said that the release of 21 Chibok girls to the safe arms of their parents was also trending in the week.

“It was a tearful and joyful reunion for the 21 abducted school girls, now known as `Chibok girls’ as they reunited with their parents this week".

Kola-Ogunlade said the girls, who were among some 276 girls abducted by the Islamic Boko Haram 30 months ago, began to trend once news of their release was reported in the media.

Not least on Google trends was Mrs Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady’s shocking revelation and a president’s humour.

“Mrs Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady frustrations, which were displayed in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, revealed that the president’s administration was in the hands of a `few people’.

“In the interview she disclosed that she will not be campaigning for Buhari’s re-election in 2019, unless he shakes up his cabinet.

“The president’s humorous response that `she belongs to my kitchen, my living room and the other room’, ended up attracting lots of attention,’’ the Google chief stated.

He said that the Swedish Academy also gave a surprising shock to book lovers by awarding this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature to American 75-year-old folklorist and singer, Bob Dylan.

The spokesman said that many days after the prize was awarded, the academy reported that they were unable to reach Papi Bob.

Kola-Ogunlade said a music alert, a new song called “Diana”, released by Tekno, also trended in the week.

“The crooner who offered to give his baby “Big Cassava” in the hit song “Pana”, released a song called, `Diana’.

“ This time, the singer wants to dance for Diana, take her away and give her an updated love in his song co-produced by Selebobo and Kribeatz.’’

According to Kola-Ogunlade, other trending searches for the week are the “No Bra Day” which trended on social media to raise awareness on breast cancer.

“Similarly, the death of America’s Tommy Ford, the shooting to death of Olympic sprinter, Tyson Gay’s teenage daughter were also trending,’’ he said.