STEP UP NIGERIA SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER

Building bridges to combat corruption through a community of integrity champions, fostering enhanced service delivery in Nigeria…

Hello Stepper!!!

Happy 65th Independence Celebrations to Nigeria! 🇳🇬 and Welcome to the final quarter of the year. Can you already hear the Christmas bells ringing? 🛎✨

As we move towards the end of the year, we’re excited to share our September highlights with you. In this edition, you’ll read inspiring stories of women driving political change with integrity, and join us as we kick off the countdown to our annual Anti-Corruption Stars Awards celebrating everyday citizens making a difference in their communities. Let’s dive into the updates! 🎉

WOMEN WITH INTEGRITY: A NEW FACE FOR NIGERIAN POLITICS

In September we sat with Ifenla Oligbinde, a people representative, an inclusion advocate, and a 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow. From her House of Assembly candidacy to her fight for democratic participation through ARDEF and the SHAPE Fellowship, Ifenla’s journey is a beacon of integrity in a system often riddled with exclusion and corruption. During our interview with her, she opened up on the importance of staying rooted in values, tracking budgets and questioning unspent funds, as that is where accountability starts from. If you’re a woman or a young person interested in politics. Use this link to listen: http://bit.ly/SUNPODCASTEPISODE103

PROMOTING HUMAN DIGNITY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

Our latest podcast episode focuses on the human costs of corruption; how it erodes trust, denies people their basic rights, and keeps communities locked out of justice and opportunity. In this episode, we bring together expert voices to explore the human cost of corruption and the urgent need to center dignity in anti-corruption efforts. From stories of disempowered communities to solutions driven by accountability, transparency, and collective action, our guests share practical insights on how to build systems that restore dignity and protect the rights of all.

You can use this link to listen: https://bit.ly/Ep104PromotingHumanDignity

SAVE THE DATE: 2025 ANTI-CORRUPTION STAR AWARDS

After a rigorous identification and validation process by our board members, we have selected our top 5 nominees for this year’s Anti-corruption Star Awards across 5 categories. Our awards this year will take place on Thursday, December 4th, 2025 and you can register to be a part of the celebration with this link: https://bit.ly/2025ACSAWARDSREGISTRATION

#SaveTheDate!

NIGERIA ACCOUNTABILITY SUMMIT 2025:

STRENGTHENING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH

We are delighted to invite you to the 2025 Nigeria Accountability Summit to be held this October. In partnership with the Paradigm Leadership Summit Initiative and a coalition of civil society organizations across Nigeria, this event will be a gathering of diverse stakeholders in the accountability ecosystem in Nigeria to discuss one urgent mission: Strengthening Accountability for Inclusive Economic Growth. Step Up Nigeria will also be hosting a breakout session on Day 1 with Accountability Lab and UNODC on “Strengthening Social Sanctions & Rewards to Promote Integrity in Public Administration”

Register now: https://nigeriaaccountabilitysummit.ng to join us on October 29–30, 2025 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

JOIN US TO EMPOWER A CHILD THROUGH OUR #BUYACHILDABOOK CAMPAIGN

At Step Up Nigeria, we are instilling integrity in young people as we believe that this is essential for fostering meaningful change in our society. Through our Catch Them Young initiative, we have empowered 60,000 children with the values and skills they need to resist corruption and act with integrity. You can support our #BuyAChildABook campaign by purchasing any of our anti-corruption storybooks and sharing them with children in your community. You can place your order here for just N2,500 https://bit.ly/BuyAnticorruptionStorybooks

Thank you for reading this edition of our monthly Newsletter.

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