The alarming rise in the incidence of end-stage renal disease in Nigeria is likely to continue if patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) lack knowledge of this disease, its management, and practices to support effective self-management. The study aimed to assess CKD knowledge and to investigate its predictors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a paper-based questionnaire at the medical and nephrology outpatients' clinics of a secondary and tertiary hospital in Maiduguri. The study enrolled 220 patients with CKD stages 1 to 4. Sixty-five percent of the participants had poor CKD knowledge. The patients who had a tertiary level of education were significantly more likely to have higher CKD knowledge compared to those with no formal education (adjusted odds ratio: 2.62, 95% CI: 1.20-5.72). The study shows that the majority of the participants had poor CKD knowledge. Tertiary educational level was the only significant independent predictor of higher CKD knowledge. Therefore, targeted educational interventions are needed among patients with no or low formal education to be able to support them with self-management behaviors.