Step Up Nigeria Podcast: Recent Episodes
Step Up Nigeria Podcast
This special podcast episode brings together the five winners for an engaging, interactive conversation that explores not only their creative works but also their personal beliefs, experiences, and reflections on […]
This is an expert podcast on whistleblowing and strengthening legal protection for whistleblowers in Nigeria aimed to deepen public understanding on whistleblowing, with a particular focus on protection, systems, and […]
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released annually by Transparency International, is one of the most widely used indicators for measuring perceived levels of public sector corruption. In the 2025 ranking, […]
As we progress into 2026, clarity is more important than ever. In this episode, the team at Step Up Nigeria engages in a thoughtful conversation about vision, strategy, and impact. […]
What Worked in 2025: Reflections, Results, and the Road Ahead takes a deep dive into Step Up Nigeria’s journey over the past year. In this episode, Feranmi and Gaza reflect […]
During our 2025 Anti-Corruption Star Awards, we hosted an engaging panel discussion centered around the theme for International Anti-Corruption Day: “Uniting With Youth Against Corruption, Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity.” In this […]
Corruption is not just about stolen funds. It erodes trust, denies people their basic rights, and keeps communities locked out of justice and opportunity. But when integrity takes root, societies […]
What does it take to be young, female, and value-driven in Nigerian politics? In this episode, we sit with Ifenla Oligbinde, politician, inclusion advocate, and 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow. From […]
We’ve all heard the phrases “water is life” and “water has no enemy.” But here’s the truth—if the water you drink isn’t clean, it can quickly become your worst enemy. […]
In this exciting episode, we spotlight a dynamic group of young Nigerians selected as Fellows for Change — a unique program equipping them with the tools, values, and leadership skills […]
Our 100th podcast episode is here, and what a major milestone it is to have brought you inspiring conversations that spotlight integrity, leadership, and social change in Nigeria and across […]
In the latest episode of Step Up Nigeria’s transformative podcast series, we dive into the critical theme of Ethical Leadership in Nigeria with a special focus on Lead Disruption, featuring […]
In the latest episode of Step Up Nigeria’s transformative podcast series, we reflect on two decades of groundbreaking work in the development space. Join our founder Onyi Ough as she […]
Step Up Nigeria’s groundbreaking anti-corruption tools are here! In this episode, we unpack the launch of the SUN Mobile App, Integrity Certification Website, a powerful documentary, and the TACS Series—innovative […]
Step Up Nigeria marked six years of impactful work by unveiling bold, digitized anti-corruption tools designed to make integrity education more accessible, engaging, and scalable. The launch event celebrated progress […]
Funding cuts for Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria have sparked critical conversations about their future. How can we navigate these challenges and build a more sustainable sector? Listen to industry […]
Tune in to our latest podcast episode and dive into uplifting conversations about our transformative changes in Nasarawa, Abuja, and Lagos. Discover how young Nigerians are stepping up for integrity […]
This podcast discusses the works carried out by Step Up Nigeria over the past 6 years. We highlighted Step Up Nigeria’s initiatives and possible intervention areas you would like to get involved in, in your community.
Through this podcast we will contribute to raising a new generation of leaders who will shun corruption and act with integrity. It might seem impossible but it only takes one person to do it and then another and then another; and this is what Step Up Nigeria is passionately working to achieve.
For this Year’s #AfricanAnticorruptionDay, we recorded a podcast with young people who are doing amazing things in Africa.
In this podcast, we highlighted the importance of amplifying the voices and actions of youths in Academia, and Civil Society in creating a transparent and corrupt-free world.
This episode of our podcast offers insights into how digital innovation can drive positive societal change. In this informative conversation, we explore the intersection of technology, governance, and citizen engagement. We discuss the comprehensive 2024 report on the Civic Tech Landscape in Nigeria by Civic Hive, which outlines how civic tech can bridge the gap between government and citizens. By fostering transparency, accountability, and the efficient delivery of public services, civic tech empowers us to create a better world for all.
In honour of International Women’s Day 2024, with the theme inspire inclusion, we talked about the significant role women play in the struggle against corruption. They highlighted the significance of involving women in decision-making processes, and our guests expanded on the necessity of having more women at the table to bring about change. Our discussion focused on the theme of inclusion in the fight against corruption.
Have fun listening.
To usher in the coming academic session, we invited three school administrators to discuss the challenges they encounter in the education system and the advantages of adopting integrity measures into their policies.
In July 2023, Step Up Nigeria launched an anti-corruption report titled, Anti-Corruption Education In Nigeria: A Complementary Tool Or An Alternative To Enforcement? With the help of the team, we break down this comprehensive report and discuss its usefulness in enhancing anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria.
In July 2023, Step Up Nigeria launched an anti-corruption report titled, Anti-Corruption Education In Nigeria: A Complementary Tool Or An Alternative To Enforcement? With the help of the team, we break down this comprehensive report and discuss its usefulness in enhancing anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria. Click here to watch the video!
The Step Up Nigeria team have come together to give you this fantastic episode, offering great insight into the various initiatives carried out by Step Up Nigeria in the last 5 years. Join us as we journey to the very beginning of how it all started.
In this episode, we explore an innovative solution to address the problem of miracle educational centres (MECs) and promote academic integrity within Nigeria’s education system. We have invited three education stakeholders to discuss the rising issue of exam malpractice, its underlying causes, and effective strategies to combat it. Also, we introduce Step Up’s integrity certification […]
On the second episode of “Assessing The 2023 General Election” series, we invited three representatives from the civil society organisations in Nigeria and the media, to critically evaluate the general elections and discuss the importance of these institutions in ensuring electoral integrity in Nigeria. Kindly share your thoughts with us.
We are starting a podcast series titled “Assessing The 2023 General Elections” where we’ll be speaking with relevant non-state actors about their thoughts on the elections, the role of INEC and lessons learnt. On this first episode, we invited young Nigerians (the youth) to share their experiences in the general elections and their thoughts on the use of technology. Was it a welcome development? Did it make voting easy? And did it prevent electoral malpractice? Find out!
After weeks of educating first-time voters about the importance of not selling their votes, they have begun to take action in their communities by campaigning against vote-buying and vote-selling. On this special episode, the first-time voters from Akeleku-Sidi community; a marginalised community in Nasarawa state, share the powerful approach they took when politicians came to campaign for their votes. They also discuss the motivation behind their approach. You don’t want to miss it!
In our third and final episode in the Films for Social Change series, we discuss with the Managing Director and General Manager of Moving Image Limited on how films can change the attitudes and behaviours of people. They also share their media projects and stories of impact from their audience. Tune in to listen, we hope you enjoy this episode!
What a journey the organisation has been on since the beginning of the year, 2022! On this podcast, the Step Up Nigeria team share their most outstanding achievements and challenges faced in 2022. They also share what they look forward to in the coming year, 2023. Enjoy!
Happy New Year!
As we round off the year, we sit with the Executive Director of Step Up Nigeria, Onyi Ough, to discuss her latest blog article; the three key lessons in fighting corruption. In this episode, you are taken through the hows and whys of each three key lessons, with evidences backing them up. Join the conversation by clicking any of the links below.
Don’t forget to leave a comment, we’d love to hear your review!
On this special day, International Anticorruption Day, the 2022 Anticorruption Star award winners share the inspiration behind the actions they took to tackle corruption and promote integrity in their schools and communities. We hope their message & actions will motivate you to start campaigning against corruption for a better and more sustainable society.
Listen here;
IF I AM PRESIDENT – A NETFLIX FILM PROMOTING INTEGRITY IN GOVERNANCE Do you believe that storytelling through films has the power to change the attitudes and behaviours of people in society? On episode one of our films for social change series, we interview Bright Wonder, the brains behind the brilliant If I am President […]
Hear what first time voters from marginalised communities have to say about Nigeria’s electoral process and service delivery challenges in their communities. Click any of the links to listen on your preferred podcast platform. Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/step-up-nigeria-podcast-building-bridges-for-improved-governance Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us Podbean: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/ttv2b-71949/Step-Up-Nigeria-Podcast
On this podcast, the African Youth Anti-corruption ambassadors from Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern Africa share their thoughts. Kindly click the link below to listen, don’t forget to share your reviews with us. Enjoy! You can also watch the video on our YouTube channel
On this podcast, anti-corruption experts, Onyinye Ough and Ekanem Bassey discuss how the cost of election fuels corruption in Nigeria. It is an interesting and insightful conversation that you don’t want to miss out on, kindly click the link to listen.
Happy Democracy Day! To commemorate #DemocracyDay 🇳🇬 2022 we sat with the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroun and ECOWAS in the person of Mr Carl Michael Gräns to discuss how their #DriveforDemocracy and #PledgeToPause initiatives have helped to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy, and why Democracy is important in the fight against corruption. To listen on […]
On this episode, the Step Up Nigeria team discuss challenges young people face in taking the step to vote, the barriers that might hinder young people to vote, and reasons why people choose not to vote. We also encourage young people and all eligible first time voters to get involved in the upcoming elections. Kindly […]
Our latest podcast features a chat with our 2021 ACS Award winners in the Educators category. They shared their plans towards institutionalising the teaching of anti-corruption in their schools and also addressed the alarming rate of ‘magic centre’ schools, and how to curb academic dishonesty through integrity measures. Give it a listen here.
Is storytelling an effective vaccine to prevent corruption in children? Since the release of our first anti-corruption storybook Emeka’s Money, we have used a storytelling approach to tackle corrupt attitudes and behaviours. On our latest podcast, our Executive Director, Onyi Ough talks us through findings from impact evaluation experiments using randomized controlled trials which took […]
Happy New Year! We’re excited to bring you our very first podcast of the year. On this podcast, our management team Onyinye Ough, Zainab Haruna & Feranmi Adeola share what to expect from Step Up Nigeria in 2022! Let our podcast give you all the motivation you need to set those goals for 2022! Listen […]
As we wrap up the year 2021, we recount the top lessons learnt from building future leaders to act with integrity. Despite the challenges faced, we learnt many key lessons, and in this podcast, we’re excited to be sharing them with you. In this episode, the Step Up Nigeria team share some key challenges faced […]
Key Highlights From building 20,000 future leaders to act with Integrity to winning international awards, the year 2021 has been the most eventful year for the Step Up Nigeria team. This year we launched Halima’s Vote animated film, Sherifat’s School, a virtual reality film on corruption in the education sector and the Step Up Integrity […]
Training 21,946 Children on Anti-corruption Step Up Nigeria launched its Catch Them Young initiative in September 2018. The aim was to build future leaders with integrity through the use of fun and creative tools. In September 2019, Step Up Nigeria embarked on a journey with funding from the MacArthur Foundation to reach 20,000 children with […]
We recently released a short animated film titled ‘Halima’s Vote’. Halima’s Vote is the powerful story of one woman who against all odds, chose to challenge the status quo of silence, intimidation, vote buying and corruption in her community by demanding for better service delivery and good governance. Halima sparked a change in how her […]
Tackling money laundering remains a critical challenge for anti-corruption fighters. Political Exposed Persons (PEPs) who launder money are continually searching for ways to channel their illegal wealth. They do this through establishing shell companies in safe havens or buying expensive properties in Dubai. Another area used by them that has not received much scrutiny is, […]
Nigeria ranked 2nd most corrupt country in West Africa… The 2020 CPI was recently released by Transparency International. The index offers an annual snapshot of the relative degree of perceived corruption by ranking countries and territories from all over the globe. In 2020, Nigeria ranked 149 out of 180 countries with a score of 25/100. […]
What is The Anti-Corruption Star Awards? The Anti-Corruption Star (ACS) Awards is an initiative of Step Up Nigeria designed to reward identified anti-corruption champions who have taken extra measures to educate, campaign or change behaviours that enable corruption to thrive. With support from the MacArthur Foundation, Step Up Nigeria seeks to herald the efforts made […]
What can Nigeria and other countries do to prevent corruption in the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines? Covid-19 vaccinations rolled out globally in the past week. Since then, tens of thousands of people in the UK received the Pfizer-BioNTech jab. Soon the vaccine will start being given to patients as part of the next stage of […]
Happy World Children’s Day! This podcast is slightly different from what you may be used to hearing from us. Its an excerpt from a radio show debate we held with children from Bethel International primary and secondary school Abuja on WEFM 106.3FM Abuja. The topic for debate on the show today is ‘As a young […]
EndSARS? Do you believe that the #EndSARS protests will spiral into a wider call for better governance in Nigeria?What outcomes should be expected from the #EndSARS protests? What role should civil society and other actors can play to push those outcomes forward?The #EndSARS protests have been on for about 2 weeks now in different parts […]
The Federal Audit bill began the journey to becoming law in Nigeria in 2018. Prior to the federal audit bill, the act that guides the office of the Auditor General of the Federation is one that was adopted in the ’60’s. Through efforts of civil society organizations including; PLSI, SERAP, CSJ, PERL, and Step Up […]
The Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP) recently released a citizen’s guide to asset declaration by public officers in Nigeria. The guide is targeted at improving citizens capacity to advocate for asset declaration by public office holders in Nigeria. Our guest today is none other than Kolawole Oluwadare, the Deputy Director of SERAP. In this […]
At the 2018 International Anti-corruption conference (IACC) in Denmark, Dr. Ande Ivorgba was famously quoted saying ‘Corruption is an educationally transmitted disease’. In this podcast, Dr. Ivorgba argues that corruption is learned behaviour and that the current education model in schools across Nigeria is contributing to the value deficit in Nigeria. He explains that if […]
Beneficial Ownership Transparency In December 2019, NEITI achieved a major milestone by establishing a beneficial ownership register for the extractive industry. In this podcast, our guests enlighten us on what a beneficial ownership register is, the steps taken to establish a beneficial ownership register for the extractive industry, and how it can help to ensure […]
Step Up Nigeria turned 2 last month! It’s been 2 years of testing the social norms approach to tackling corruption through our 3 core initiatives which are; The catch them young initiative, The citizen’s watchdog initiative, and Step Up Media. On this podcast, Step Up Nigeria Directors, Onyi Ough and Zainab Haruna, share key findings […]
Preston Consults Ltd. recently released a policy brief titled “COVID-19: The Need for Bold Reforms to Deliver Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Nigeria”. On today’s podcast, Preston Consults CEO, Dr. Tochukwu Nwachukwu and Step Up Nigeria Program Director, Zainab Haruna, discuss some of the key elements in this brief including; boosting production in Agriculture, and […]
Young children in Nigeria are adversely affected by the effects of corruption in society and many children are forced into a culture of corruption and crime with little or no understanding of its meaning and long term effects.We asked a group of young secondary schools students (aged 12 -16) who are championing integrity in their […]
How is data driven journalism helping to expose corruption during COVID 19?Dataphyte recently published a report highlighting some red flags with the emergency procurement of goods and services by the government during COVID 19. Dataphyte’s Founder, Joshua Olufemi breaks down some of the findings of the report and its implications for governance going forward. Accompanied […]
The Afrobarometer report for 2019 shows that young people are deeply affected by corruption. On this special podcast episode to commemorate Africa Anti-corruption Day, we ask a group of young Nigerian activists (Aisha Salaudeen, Joshua Alade & Jacob Sule) How corruption affects young people in Africa? What are some ways that young people can act against […]
At the inception of the coronavirus outbreak, no one could have imagined that Nigeria would have over 20,000 confirmed cases and over 500 deaths. Moreso, no one could have been prepared for the ensuing closure of all schools nationwide that has led to a major disruption in the academic calendar. What challenges have the public […]
On episode 43 of our podcast, we discuss the extent to which infrastructure transparency will help improve countries’ response to the coronavirus pandemic. We considered emerging risks to infrastructure transparency, key lessons nations can learn about the importance of infrastructure transparency, and what must be done to prevent corruption in the management of the current […]
Emeka’s Money film launched on May 29. For the official launch we discussed ‘Story telling as a tool to fight corruption’ with Mbuotidem Johnson & Onyi. They also discussed the extent to which storytelling through animated films can help in changing attitudes & behaviours of people towards corruption? and success stories from Step Up Nigeria’s […]
Emeka’s Money film launched on May 29. For the official launch we discussed ‘Combating corruption through challenging social norms’ with Chatham House scholar, Dr Leena Hoffman, NEITI Executive Secretary, Mr. Waziri Adio, UNODC Country Director, Mr. Oliver Stolpe, and DFID Governance Adviser, Ekanem Bassey. They also shared their individual reviews of the film and what […]
Emeka’s Money is the first in a children’s anti corruption story book series by Onyi Ough, Step Up Nigeria’s Executive Director. With funding support from the MacArthur Foundation and animation from Basement Studios, Emeka’s Money now has an animated Film. In today’s episode, we sat down with the cast of Emeka’s Money Film to discuss […]
Emeka’s Money is the first in a children’s anti corruption story book series by Onyi Ough, Step Up Nigeria’s Executive Director. Since September 2018, over 7000 children have read Emeka’s Money storybook and been inspired by Emeka to act with integrity. Now, with funding support from the MacArthur Foundation and creative Direction from Basement Studios, […]
In 2016, Forty-three countries from all global regions attended the Anti-Corruption Summit in London. The Summit sought to help countries put fighting corruption at the heart of their policies and institutions. At the end, countries signed the Global Declaration against Corruption and made several country-specific Summit commitments. On today’s podcast, we had Transparency International’s Lucia […]
We are very excited to announce that our much loved story book ‘Emeka’s Money’ now has its own animated film. Over 7000 children have read Emeka’s Money. And for many of these children, Emeka has become an iIntegrity hero who inspires them. When Emeka started to see the real cost of corruption, he decided that […]
Our podcast guest today is Blair Glencorse, the Executive Director of Accountability Lab Global and he is joined by the Executive Director of Step Up Nigeria. Blair recently wrote an article on ‘Why tackling corruption is crucial to the global coronavirus response’ and in this episode, Blair and Onyi discuss examples from countries around the […]
Nigeria’s health sector seems ill-equipped to adequately respond to the Coronavirus pandemic and corruption has been identified as one of the challenges that has affected Nigeria’s health systems. In this podcast with our Executive Director and Program Director, we answer the following questions; Is corruption affecting the effective delivery of healthcare services in Nigeria? What are some […]
Do you think that a global pandemic like the Coronavirus presents an opportunity for corruption to thrive? How can anti-corruption agencies and NGOs position themselves to tackle corruption that may arise as a result of this? Are there any lessons that we can learn from previous epidemics that can help in managing this pandemic? On […]
A ‘life saving’ drug arrives Nigeria and a bribe is offered to government officials to clear the cargo without viewing its contents. One woman steps up to save the day! She rejects the bribe and tests the substances. The drug is found out to be a deadly substance that could have killed hundreds if this […]
“It is not just charity that begins at home, corruption also begins at home. There is a popular saying that if you can’t beat them, join them but I say if you can’t beat them, keep trying” – Blessing Ejindu “You are not too young to stop corruption, tell your parents that you want to […]
Step Up Nigeria trained 27 teachers from low cost private schools and public schools in the FCT on using innovative tools and approaches to teach anti-corruption education in their schools. After the session, we sat down with 4 of our ‘Teacher Anti-corruption Champions to discuss their role as educators in the fight against corruption in […]
Nigeria’s 2017 audit report for the federation was released in December 2019. The report showed no significant improvement in the management of public resources by government agencies. It also showed a general lack of transparency in the award and use of public funds. The good news is that there was a slight improvement in the […]
We sat down with the co-founder and CEO of the integrity organization, Mr. Soji Apampa, to discuss collective action against corruption in the business sector in Nigeria. He enlightened us about existing collective action initiatives (CAI) on business integrity, challenges faced and successes so far.He also gave some good advice to businesses on actions they […]
2019 was an awesome year for Step Up Nigeria.We reached 5000 children with anti-corruption education/literature including 200 out of school children. One of our young champions addressed world leaders at the UNODC HLPF on Education For Justice (E4J), another champion from the same school won the international youth call with her poem on corruption. We […]
Have you heard about brown envelope journalism? To mark the launch of Onyinye Ough’s book Tosin’s Story, a children’s book about corruption in journalism, Kamri Apollo from WEFM joins the team to discuss the issues and what can be done.
Listen to their chat in episode 28 of the Step Up Nigeria podcast series. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
SERAP presented a report that assesses the perceptions and experiences of Nigerians as it relates to paying bribes to the Police and the Judiciary, as well as bribes paid to access services in the power, health and education sectors in Nigeria.
In this episode, we discuss some interesting findings from the survey to answer the following questions;
Which is the most corrupt institution in Nigeria?
Is the judiciary the ticking time bomb that we are yet to address in Nigeria?
How will the anti-corruption performance assessment survey help anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria? and
What practical steps can be taken to fight corruption in the identified sectors?
Discussants: Kola Oluwadare (SERAP), Zainab Haruna and Feranmi Adeola (Step Up Nigeria)
We hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. If you did enjoy the episode, please like, share and comment! Check out our projects.