Fraud: How I turned down N5bn inflated contract offer — Fela Durotoye

Former presidential candidate, Fela Durotoye, has recounted how he rejected a N5 billion inflated government contract despite pressure from a senior official.

He shared the experience on Tuesday at the ongoing biannual conference of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in Abuja, describing it as a test of integrity.

According to Durotoye, the official, who claimed to be a pastor, offered him a lucrative training contract to train participants in all 774 local government areas of Nigeria.

After evaluating the project, Durotoye and his team prepared an invoice for N1.3 billion—a fair price for the training.

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Three days later, Durotoye received a congratulatory call from the presidency confirming he had secured the contract. However, the official suggested inflating the amount to N5 billion.

“They said my price was too small and offered to increase it by N700 million to make it N2 billion, but then asked me to submit an invoice for N5 billion,” Durotoye said.

He expressed concern over the ethics of inflating a price for a project focused on ethical leadership, but the official dismissed his reservations. 

When he objected further, the official assured him it was a blessing from God.

“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 narrated. 

At that point, Durotoye said he switched off his phone to end the conversation.

According to him, three months later, officials from the presidency were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly embezzling N426 million from an ethical leadership training fund.

The leadership coach emphasised the importance of standing firm on integrity despite external pressures.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE