Renowned leadership coach and former presidential candidate of the defunct Alliance for New Nigeria, Fela Durotoye, has shared how he resisted an offer to embezzle N5 billion in a fraudulent government deal, despite persistent 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 described the incident as a profound test of integrity, according to a Church Times Nigeria report on Wednesday.
He recounted how the official presented him with a lucrative training contract, stating he had already been handpicked for the job. The programme required training participants in all 774 local government areas across Nigeria within eight weeks, and Durotoye was assured he met the criteria perfectly.
When asked to provide an invoice, Durotoye ensured the costs reflected only the actual expenses involved. After careful calculations, his team arrived at a fair estimate of N1.3 billion for the training programme.
However, three days later, everything changed when a call from the presidency brought an unexpected twist.
“I got a call congratulating me that I had secured the job.
“But they said the amount I was asking for was too small. They promised to add N700m to make it N2bn. Then they asked me to submit an invoice for N5bn.
“It was a few years ago, I’ll not say how long, but it’s not this administration, it’s not last administration, it’s a while ago, let me leave it like that,” Durotoye said.
Alarmed, he questioned the ethics of inflating the price, especially for a training centred on ethical leadership.
The official, however, dismissed his concerns.
“The man assured me he wasn’t ripping off Nigeria.
“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 is time for Nigeria to do well for you,’” Durotoye said.
As pressure mounted, Durotoye claimed he made a bold decision—he switched off his phone.
He added that three months later, news broke that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arrested some presidency officials for stealing N426m from an ethical leadership training fund.
Reflecting on the ordeal, he emphasised the importance of strong moral values.
“Only your values can help you turn down corrupt tendencies,” he warned.
Durotoye also revealed details about his time serving under the Tinubu administration as Special Assistant to the President.
“I did not collect an official car, I did not collect a house, and I did not collect a salary for serving.
“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 stated.
Despite the challenges, he said he encountered like-minded individuals in government who shared his commitment to integrity.
“When we have the right values, there won’t be corruption in this land,” he concluded.