1. Pastor Nicholas Evaristus

For more than four decades, the people of Aggah community in Rivers State suffered devastating floods caused by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, which constructed a road that blocked natural waterways. While many were silenced with threats or enticed with offers, Pastor Nicholas Evaristus stood firm, choosing truth over compromise.

He became the lead witness in the criminal charge PMC/MOH/107/2017 against Agip and took the struggle beyond Nigeria, presenting the case before a special panel in Milan, Italy, set up by the Italian government against ENI, Agip’s parent company. Despite repeated offers of bribes and contracts worth millions, Pastor Evaristus refused to betray his community. Instead, he pursued civil suits in Italy and worked tirelessly to hold Agip accountable. Recently, he petitions the Italy Government over threat to his life as reported by the Guardian Newspaper.

His unwavering integrity has already brought billions of naira worth of projects to Aggah community and he continues to fight at the Court of Milan to enforce agreements reached before the OECD and national contact points in Italy and the Netherlands. Nicholas Evaristus exemplifies incorruptible courage, proving that truth and integrity can withstand even the strongest corporate pressure.

2. Builder Kunle Awobodu

Builder Kunle Awobodu is the Founder and Pioneer National President of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), an organization that has become Nigeria’s strongest watchdog against the menace of building collapse. With unshakable honesty and courage, he has exposed corruption in the construction industry, including the use of substandard materials, disregard for building regulations, and negligence by both private developers and government agencies.

Through his whistleblowing and professional interventions, unsafe structures have been identified and demolished, saving countless lives. After major disasters like the Synagogue Church collapse, Lekki Gardens tragedy, and the 2021 Ikoyi high-rise collapse, Awobodu played a key role in investigations, demanding forensic audits and accountability instead of cover-ups.

He has consistently resisted pressure from powerful interests, maintaining a non-partisan stance and criticizing both government regulators and private developers whenever safety standards are compromised. By uniting professionals across the seven bodies in Nigeria’s construction sector, he has built a strong national network to combat quackery, improve professionalism, and prevent future tragedies.

Kunle Awobodu’s integrity, transparency, and moral courage have set a benchmark for ethical leadership in Nigeria’s construction industry proving that one man’s refusal to compromise can protect an entire nation.