Renowned leadership coach and former presidential candidate of the defunct Alliance for New Nigeria, Fela Durotoye, has shared how he turned down a fraudulent government deal that would have allowed him to siphon N5 billion, despite intense pressure from an official who claimed to be a pastor.
Speaking on Tuesday at the ongoing biannual conference of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria in Abuja, Durotoye recounted the experience, calling it a test of integrity.
According to a Church Times Nigeria report on Wednesday, he revealed that the official approached him with a lucrative training contract, assuring him that he had already been selected for the job.
The program required training participants across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria within eight weeks, and Durotoye was told he was the perfect candidate.
When asked to submit an invoice, he ensured the costs reflected only actual expenses. His team calculated a fair price of N1.3 billion for the training.
However, just three days later, a call from the presidency changed everything.
“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,” Durotoye recalled.
Concerned, he challenged the morality of inflating the price, particularly for a training focused on ethical leadership.
The official, however, brushed off his objections.
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“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 the pressure intensified, Durotoye made a bold choice—he turned off his phone.
Three months later, news emerged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arrested several presidency officials for embezzling N426 million from an ethical leadership training fund.
Looking back on the ordeal, he underscored the significance of unwavering 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.
“When we have the right values, there won’t be corruption in this land,” he concluded.
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