Adetokunbo Olufela Durotoye, a former Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on National Values and Social Justice, has revealed how he turned down a fraudulent N5 billion offer from a government official.

The renowned leadership coach and former presidential candidate of the defunct Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) made this known while narrating his experience during a short stint at the Presidential Villa.

According to Church Times Nigeria, he spoke at the ongoing biannual conference of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

He detailed how a government official who claimed to be a pastor pressurised him to siphon N5b from the government coffers.

He said the official approached him with a lucrative training contract involving training people in all 774 local government areas of Nigeria within eight weeks.

ALSO READ: Tinubu appoints Fela Durotoye, 4 others to serve in presidential media team

The official informed the former presidential candidate that he had already been selected for the job, assuring him that he fit the criteria perfectly.

According to Durotoye, he was asked to prepare an invoice, ensuring the cost was strictly based on actual expenses, for which he and his team had calculated a fair price of N1.3 billion for the training.

However, they got a shocker three days later from the presidency.

“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,” he narrated.

When the motivational speaker questioned the rationale for inflating the price, especially for training on ethical leadership, the official dismissed his concerns.

The man assured him that he wasn’t ripping off Nigeria because he had served the country and deserved compensation.

“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.

After mounting pressure, the leadership coach said he boldly decided to switch off his phone. However, news broke three months later that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arrested some presidency officials for stealing N426m from an ethical leadership training fund.

Reflecting on the experience, he emphasised the importance of strong moral values.

“Only your values can help you turn down corrupt tendencies,” he warned.

Durotoye narrates working under Tinubu

ALSO READ: Tinubu bags 'Man of the Year' award hours after corruption ranking

The politician also disclosed details about his time serving in the presidency as Special Assistant to Tinubu.

“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, Durotoye 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.