Corruption is a major challenge in Nigeria, destroying lives and harming communities. Yet, corrupt people often do not realise they are corrupt. Many of them do not recognise that their actions are causing harm to people. To make matters worse, these corrupt persons are praised and celebrated for their corrupt actions by their friends, family and those who directly benefit. It has become so widespread across Nigeria that at times it has become "acceptable" and "the way things are done". All of these factors make it difficult to tackle corruption in Nigeria.

This is the challenge I’m trying to overcome through two children’s books I have written and published this year- ‘Emeka’s Money’ and 'Halima's Vote'. These books aim to show children the impact of different types of corruption in Nigeria along with the damage caused by 'vote buying' in elections. They aim to teach children important values like integrity, the importance of holding government to account for delivering to communities, using public office for the common good rather than selfish interests, and the encouraging women and girls to take up leadership roles to change things for the better.

Since publishing these books I have been working through the 'Catch Them Young' initiative with my Nigerian based NGO 'Step Up Nigeria', to roll-out these books into schools across Nigeria. Through this work we are making copies available to children and schools for free, working with teachers and classes to engage and explore the issues in these books.

By donating towards the 'Catch Them Young' initiative we will be able to get more copies of the books to schools and children, and help encourage the next generation of Nigerians to lead the fight against corruption.