Congratulations to our five remarkable Integrity Icons of 2025! They are an incredible group of public servants working across Security, Education, Finance and Data sectors.

They are:

Kumafan Dzaan (Benue State)

Kumafan Dzaan is the Statistician-General of Benue State and Chief Executive Officer of the Benue State Bureau of Statistics (BSBS), whose vision and leadership have significantly advanced digital transformation, data accountability, and evidence-based governance in Benue State and beyond.

His work has greatly enhanced the effectiveness, accountability, and credibility of the State Bureau of Statistics. In an environment where data systems were historically neglected, he revived the Bureau into a functional and trusted institution by personally funding critical operations and staff salaries from his own resources, ensuring continuity in the absence of public funding.

Under his leadership, the Bureau conducted Benue State’s first-ever Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Survey, a foundational milestone that clarified the state’s economic structure and guided targeted public investment decisions. He is coordinating the state’s first Consumer Pricing Index (CPI) Survey and also leads the coordination of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Survey across 19 Northern states, in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics and key development partners.

His strategic vision has enabled the Bureau to build partnerships, attract national visibility, and deliver credible data outputs that influence policy. Beyond technical achievements, he has prioritized institutional accountability by implementing transparent processes, building local staff capacity, and establishing data governance standards that position the Bureau as a model for subnational statistical systems in Nigeria.

His leadership has restored public confidence in the role of data in governance and positioned statistics as a central tool for accountability, service delivery, and inclusive development in Benue State. According to those working as technicians under him, his outstanding nature is evident: the Bureau has been operating since 2022 without funding yet continues to function at maximum capacity. They affirm that only a sacrificial person who is committed to doing what is right for the people could give so much and sustain the institution at such a level.

CSP Mathias Nuhu (Akwa Ibom State)

CSP Mathias Nuhu is widely known for upholding integrity in a profession often associated with bribery, extortion, and collecting money for bail. Throughout his years of service, he has ensured that both he and his subordinates do not request money for bail, consistently reminding citizens that bail is free.

He previously served as DPO in Ibeno and also worked in CID as OC Homicide. He chose never to participate in illicit activities and ensured that any payments, when required, were made officially. Setting such high standards initially made him appear foolish in the eyes of some colleagues, who questioned how he survived financially without collecting extra money. Despite this, he remained steadfast, confident that repeated right actions would eventually become part of him, and he remained unashamed and unbothered.

Even though some superiors continued to expect illicit returns, he stood firm. For example, when he became OC Homicide, he knew expectations would be placed on him to act as others did. He immediately visited his superior officer and explained that she should not expect anything from him related to extortion because he did not collect bail money. She responded, saying, “Mathias, I respect you for coming to tell me this; I wish I was like you.” Her acceptance lifted a burden from him and enabled him to continue his work without pressure.

He also faced a case that nearly overwhelmed him. While working against the authority of the State, instructions came from the Government House asking him to remove certain information from a case. He refused. After completing the investigation, writing his report, and administering the case file, he would not tamper with the document, as he was expected to expunge a name from a murder case. He handed over the case file, stating he was done and would not modify it unless they did so themselves. He also made photocopies of the file in case anything was removed. When the case reached court and the person involved was called in, he was unsure whether he would survive the pressure, but he persevered and stood his ground until the case was charged to court. Shortly after, he left the office and never learned the outcome.

For his integrity, he received an award from the Centre for Human Rights on Accountability in Akwa Ibom State.

Col. Manga (Abuja)

Colonel Manga has served in the Nigerian Army for 22 years since his commission in 2003. Over those years, he has been deployed to some of the most dangerous and demanding assignments in the country. For a decade, he fought on the frontlines against Boko Haram in Maiduguri, and one of his proudest moments was serving among the strategic officers who foiled a high stakes insurgents’ attack on Giwa Barracks.

As a captain in Maiduguri, he faced not only physical threats but moral tests as well. After Boko Haram’s failed attack on the barracks, he was offered ₦15 million to either leave the state or turn a blind eye. He refused. Soon afterward, a DSS colleague informed him that Boko Haram had placed a ₦60 million bounty on his head. Although it was a sobering revelation, it strengthened his resolve to serve with integrity.

His service later took him across Nigeria. In 2022, he was deployed to the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway to restore order and reduce kidnapping and insecurity. In 2023, he was posted to the Niger Delta to combat oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism. Once again, he faced attempts at bribery, with oil bunkerers offering large sums to allow their illegal activities to continue. He rejected the offers each time, believing that integrity was not only about refusing money but fulfilling the oath he swore.

In 2022, his efforts were recognized when he was named the Nigerian Army’s Best Gallantry Officer and received the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). He also received the SAEMA Award in the same year. These awards remind him that integrity and courage matter, but he considers his greatest honour to be faithfully serving his country.

Ann Itodo (Abuja)

Ann Itodo, from the Igala tribe in Kogi State, began teaching at Government Secondary School, Apo, in 2019. From the beginning, she realized that her students faced challenges far beyond academics. One of the earliest pressures she encountered came from parents – mostly mothers – who offered her money to promote their children so their husbands would not learn that they had failed. She refused, believing that education must be rooted in honesty and that students need support, not shortcuts.

She later discovered that many of her students were house helpers who walked 8 to 12 kilometres from Galadimawa to Apo every day; arriving late, hungry, and exhausted. To protect them from punishment, she maintained a list of those who lived far away and defended them when necessary. Whenever possible, she paid their transport fares herself.

Hunger became another major issue. When cases of stealing increased, she discovered the children were not mischievous but simply hungry. Alongside two colleagues – Madam Rachael and Madam Patricia – she began contributing part of her salary to buy food for the students. They arranged with food vendors to record the children’s names and settled the bills monthly. This support eventually extended to covering school fees and PTA levies for students in need.

Some situations were deeply heartbreaking. Ann once noticed a student who was always sleeping in class. Upon asking why, she learned the girl was being molested by a guardian entrusted with her care. Ann and her colleagues immediately intervened, removing the child from the home, housing her until she completed her WAEC exams, paying her fees, and later reuniting her with her family. Sadly, this was not an isolated case; they have had to intervene repeatedly in abusive situations, even when it meant dealing with angry parents. Ann firmly believes that children cannot thrive if the homes they sleep in at night are unsafe.

Beyond crisis intervention, she aims to protect her students’ dignity. When a girl in her class became pregnant, she persuaded the principal to allow her to complete her exams and kept her condition private to shield her from shame. She has also witnessed how neglect – sometimes even in homes where parents are present – drives students toward risky behaviours, drugs, group sex, or exploitation by older men for as little as ₦1,500.

To Ann, teaching is far more than a job. She sees it as love in action. She identifies as a teacher, but also a mentor, protector, and friend who strives each day to give her students hope, dignity, and a chance at a better future.

Oluwashola Shobayo (Lagos State)

Oluwashola Shobayo began her civil service career in the risk management department, where all payments above ₦500,000 required clearance before being processed. She and her teammates scrutinized payments closely, often saving money for the government. She became known as “Eagle Eyes” because she always detected errors or potential fraud.

She later moved to a Global Fund-financed project under the Ministry of Health as the Project Internal Auditor. She significantly enhanced transparency and accountability processes, reducing external findings from the Office of the Inspector General compared to before she joined. She strengthened controls, enforced strict compliance with regulations and guidelines, conducted periodic anti-fraud trainings, and assisted in developing an anti-fraud policy. Under her watch, there were zero fraud incidents.

Currently, as the Head of the System Audit Department, she works to ensure that the Lagos State payroll is error-free, that payroll fraud is reduced to the barest minimum, and that due process is followed. With her team, she conducts comprehensive reviews of all payrolls monthly before salaries are paid. Through pre- and post-payment scrutiny, the department has closed several loopholes, corrected salary adjustments, overpayments, underpayments, and computational errors, achieving cost savings of over ₦1 billion from May 2023 to date.

She has faced many challenges because people often dislike the truth and resist compliance with rules, but she continues to stand her ground, always going the extra mile to gather facts. Though some superiors and colleagues feel she works too intensely, they eventually recognize her commitment to accountability and transparency. She looks forward to collaborating with Accountability Lab Nigeria to promote a mental shift toward integrity and uprightness, even though she has not yet received any award or recognition.

Watch our five finalists’ short films below.