Former England striker John Fashanu is launching an initiative to help Nigeria to shed its reputation for dishonesty.
Nigerians have suffered from the commonly held misconception that they are behind most of the cheque card and email frauds in Britain and the US.
Any Nigerian who applies for a job in the British civil service now has to pass a lie detector test before being accepted and some private companies make applicants hold a piece of red hot iron during interviews.
All this will change with the advent of the 'Trust a Nigerian' campaign being launched by the ex Wimbldeon striker which aims to shatter the stereotype.
'It is a great shame people think Nigerian are crooks when we have so many wonderfully honest figures - me for example,' said Fashanu.
'I was cleared of match fixing without even having to give an explanation for all that money in my Swiss bank account.
'That shows how much the jury must have trusted me. And just think of the trust those young boys put in my brother.'
The 'Trust a Nigerian' campaign is being launched with a £10 million grant from the Nigerian government.
Fashanu added: The problem is I can't get at the money right now. If people can send a small donation with their bank details, PIN numbers and so on I can release the funds and I will give them a 100 per cent return on their investment.'
