Anti-Corruption Drive Empowers 2,000 Teachers with Digital Tools

Anti-Corruption Drive Empowers 2,000 Teachers with Digital Tools

Anti-corruption education is getting a digital boost in Nigerian sch

ools, thanks to a bold initiative that has already trained 2,000 teachers and reached over 60,000 children.

Step Up Nigeria, a civil society group known for tackling corruption through education, unveiled a set of digital tools aimed at young learners. The tools include storybooks, board games, comic series, and animated videos—all designed to teach children the value of honesty and the dangers of corruption in ways they can easily understand.

The initiative forms part of the group’s “Catch Them Young” programme. It targets children aged 6 to 15 and focuses on early character building through storytelling and interactivity.

Onyinye Ough, the founder of Step Up Nigeria, said during the launch event in Abuja that the tools were built to meet growing demands from schools across the country—and even internationally.

“So far, we’ve reached over 60,000 children across Nigeria. We’re constantly receiving requests from schools—not just within Nigeria, but also from other countries, which is why we’ve created a digital app to make our tools more accessible globally,” she explained.

The app, which Ough described as a “one-stop shop,” bundles together new and existing content to ensure children everywhere can learn about integrity regardless of location. Among the new offerings is a comic series that uses relatable characters and real-life scenarios to teach children how to make the right choices.

In addition to school-based learning, Step Up Nigeria’s advocacy efforts have sparked real changes in communities. These include better roads, clean water supply, upgraded primary healthcare, and improved school facilities.

Feranmi Iyanda, the group’s programmes manager, introduced another layer of reform at the launch—the School Integrity Certification Programme. This initiative helps schools build transparent systems by improving codes of conduct, promoting fairness in admissions, and introducing tools like conflict of interest registers.

“We’re enhancing schools’ codes of conduct, improving academic and admissions integrity, and even introducing conflict of interest registers to reduce bribery and favoritism between parents and teachers,” Iyanda said.

To support the rollout, the organisation produced four new storybooks and two comic series that reflect real-life situations children may encounter. The goal is to instil values of accountability, truthfulness, and responsibility early on.

The 2,000 teachers trained under this programme now serve as ambassadors of integrity in their schools. They are equipped not only with digital tools but also with classroom strategies to start honest conversations with children about corruption.

Teachers, school administrators, and community leaders who have seen the programme in action are already noticing its impact. In some schools, children have begun forming Integrity Clubs, where they create plays, songs, and debates centered on honesty and good leadership.

What makes this approach powerful is that it avoids preaching. Instead, it lets children think through choices, explore outcomes, and form their own convictions.

Step Up Nigeria’s long-term vision is clear: build a generation that sees corruption not as a way of life, but as a threat to fairness, opportunity, and trust.

Ough believes children are ready for that challenge. “When children understand the cost of corruption in their own lives and communities, they become powerful voices for change,” she said.

By combining creative education, digital access, and teacher training, Step Up Nigeria is lighting a path toward a more honest future—starting right in the classroom.