Young Creatives Champion Whistleblowing, Accountability After National Competition Win
As Nigeria seeks new ways to strengthen accountability and citizen engagement, a new generation of creatives is turning to art, music and storytelling to inspire action against corruption and wrongdoing.
Winners of the 2026 World Whistleblower Day Art and Media Competition have pledged to use their creative talents to promote whistleblowing, integrity and transparency across the country.
The competition, organised by Step Up Nigeria in partnership with the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa, attracted 172 entries from 31 states, with five winners emerging across the categories of skit, music, poetry and spoken word, visual arts and writing.
Each winner received a ₦500,000 prize.
Poetry and Spoken Word winner, Anita Wokoji, said artists have a duty to inspire positive change and encourage citizens to speak out against wrongdoing.
“Corruption is corruption, irrespective of where it is happening,” she said, stressing that storytelling remains a powerful tool for civic engagement and social transformation.
Music category winner, Jeremiah Akinfolarin, pledged to create content that promotes positive values and exposes societal ills, noting that creative works can influence attitudes and behaviour, particularly among young people.
Step Up Nigeria’s Programme Manager, Feranmi Iyanda, described the high level of participation as evidence of growing youth interest in accountability issues.
She announced that the winners would become the first cohort of World Whistleblower Day Fellows, helping to mentor future participants and sustain advocacy efforts.
Iyanda also renewed calls for the passage of a whistleblower protection law, noting that despite the existence of a federal whistleblower policy since 2016, Nigeria is yet to enact legislation specifically protecting whistleblowers.
Representing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Suleiman Achebe said integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching, highlighting the commission’s anti-corruption clubs and programmes aimed at young Nigerians.
Communications Manager of Step Up Nigeria, Dr Shekwogaza Kure, said the initiative was designed to amplify young voices and encourage conversations around transparency, accountability and stronger legal safeguards for whistleblowers.
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