Renowned leadership coach and former presidential candidate of the defunct Alliance for New Nigeria, Fela Durotoye, has revealed how he rejected an attempt to engage in a fraudulent government deal worth N5 billion, despite intense 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 shared the experience, describing it as a test of integrity.
He recounted that an official had approached him with a lucrative training contract aimed at training people in all 774 local government areas of Nigeria within eight weeks. The official insisted Durotoye was the perfect fit for the job.
Upon preparation, Durotoye’s team calculated a fair price of N1.3bn for the training programme.
However, just three days later, Durotoye received a call from the presidency informing him that he had secured the job. They told him his invoice was too small and offered an additional N700m, bringing the total to N2bn. They then asked him to submit an invoice for N5bn.
Alarmed by the price inflation, Durotoye questioned the ethics of the request, especially considering the programme’s focus on ethical leadership. The official, however, dismissed his concerns, assuring him that it wasn’t a rip-off of the country.
“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 explained.
Under mounting pressure, Durotoye made the decision to turn off his phone. Three months later, news broke that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested some presidency officials for embezzling N426m from the ethical leadership training fund.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Durotoye emphasized the importance of strong moral values in resisting corruption. “Only your values can help you turn down corrupt tendencies,” he warned.
Durotoye also spoke about his time serving under the Tinubu administration as Special Assistant to the President. He revealed that he did not accept an official car, house, or salary for his service.
“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 noted that he met 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.
