Renowned leadership coach and former presidential candidate of the defunct Alliance for New Nigeria, Fela Durotoye, has disclosed how he turned down a fraudulent government deal worth N5 billion despite immense pressure from an official who claimed to be a pastor.
Speaking at the ongoing biannual conference of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday, Durotoye recounted the experience, describing it as a test of integrity.
He explained that an official approached him with a lucrative training contract, designed to train individuals across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria within eight weeks.
The official insisted that Durotoye was the best person for the job.
After careful evaluation, Durotoye’s team determined a fair cost of N1.3 billion for the training programme.
However, just three days later, he received a call from the presidency confirming that he had secured the contract.
Surprisingly, he was informed that his invoice was too low and was offered an additional N700 million, bringing the total to N2 billion.
They then asked him to submit an invoice for N5 billion.
Alarmed by the inflated figure, Durotoye questioned the ethics of the request, particularly since the programme focused on ethical leadership.
However, the official dismissed his concerns, assuring him that it wasn’t an exploitation of the country’s resources.
“He said he had served the country and deserved compensation. When I reminded him that the blessings of God make one rich and add no sorrow, he fired back, saying, ‘There is no sorrow in this one. You have been doing well for Nigeria. It’s time for Nigeria to do well for you,’” Durotoye recalled.
Under mounting pressure, he decided to turn off his phone.
Three months later, reports emerged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested some presidency officials for misappropriating N426 million from the ethical leadership training fund.
Reflecting on the experience, Durotoye emphasized the importance of strong moral values in resisting corruption.
“Only your values can help you turn down corrupt tendencies,” he stated.
He also spoke about his tenure as Special Assistant to the President under the Tinubu administration, revealing that he declined the usual perks of office, including an official car, house, and salary.
“It was difficult to get my letter out because, according to somebody in government, my refusal to collect those things would make it difficult to pin me to corruption,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Durotoye acknowledged that there were others in government who shared his commitment to integrity.
“When we have the right values, there won’t be corruption in this land,” he concluded.
