Fela Durotoye, a prominent leadership coach and former presidential candidate of the now-defunct Alliance for New Nigeria, shared how he turned down a chance to embezzle N5bn in a corrupt government deal, despite intense pressure from an official who claimed to be a pastor.
Speaking at the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria’s biannual conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Durotoye recalled the experience as a test of his integrity.
According to a report by Church Times Nigeria, he explained that the official offered him a highly profitable training contract, claiming he had already been selected for the role.
The project involved training individuals across all 774 local government areas of Nigeria within eight weeks, and Durotoye was assured that he met the qualifications.
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After preparing an invoice, his team came up with a reasonable price of N1.3bn based on actual expenses. However, just three days later, a call from the presidency changed the course of events.
“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.
Surprised, he raised concerns about the ethics of inflating the price, particularly for a program focused on ethical leadership.
However, the official brushed aside his worries.
“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 increased, Durotoye said he made a decisive move—he turned off his phone.
He later learned that three months afterward, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had apprehended several presidential officials for embezzling N426m from the ethical leadership training fund.
Looking back on the experience, he stressed the significance of upholding strong moral principles.
“Only your values can help you turn down corrupt tendencies,” he warned.
Durotoye also shared insights about his time working as Special Assistant to the President under the Tinubu administration.
“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 difficulties, he mentioned that he came across individuals in government who shared his dedication to integrity.
“When we have the right values, there won’t be corruption in this land,” he concluded.
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