MONROVIA, Montserrado – The recent publication of Global Witness’ report about government officials accepting bribes from a British company has dominated the Liberian news cycle. In a most timely coincidence, Accountability Lab has launched its second edition of Integrity Idol in Liberia. The campaign is a contest that aims to shine a light on the nation’s most honest civil servants.

Lawrence Yealue, the West Africa representative for the Lab, said at the launch of the contest that the program aimed to shift the conversation about corruption from focusing on offenders to concentrating on people who were exemplary public servants.

“Instead of naming and shaming people, we talk about what we can do differently, by naming and faming people,” Yealue said. “Why can’t we celebrate honest civil servants?”

Last year’s competition saw 1,400 nominations submitted, resulting in five finalists. This year, the Lab expects to reach an even bigger Liberian audience, building on the success and publicity of the inaugural year’s success. The organization is recruiting volunteers across the country to spread awareness over a seven month period. According to a concept note distributed by Accountability Lab, anyone can nominate a civil servant. After all the nominations are in, independent judges will select five finalists, who will be filmed on the job and in their communities. The videos will be shown on television and other platforms.

The winner from last year, Jugbeh Kekula, was one of the nominees who was filmed in her community and at her job. Since she won the competition, she said the attitudes of people around her have changed significantly.

“When people see me around, they call me ‘our idol, our idol,’” she said, adding that she now feels pressured to live up to the ideals of Integrity Idol. “Though I don’t have the finances to make it better than what it is, my behavior and my attitude – my work towards people, it has changed a whole lot.”

While Kekula did not win any monetary prizes, Accountability Lab pledged to work with her on a pet project of her choice, as with all the finalists from last year. For Kekula, being an Integrity Idol is just a natural extension of how she has always lived. “I hate to see wrong things,” she said in a recent interview. “The moment I see wrong things I report it. I always tell them, I love favor from God and not man.”

Nominations for Integrity Idol can be placed online at this link. The Accountability Lab is a financial supporter of The Bush Chicken.