I Was Once Asked To Raise A N5 Billion Invoice For A N1.3 Billion Job- Fela Durotoye

“He said he told them that I won’t put anything for myself and that they’ll be putting N700m for me, but that I should send an invoice of N5 billion”

A former presidential candidate and convener of Gemstones, Fela Durotoye, has narrated how he was asked to raise an invoice of N5 billion for an N1.3 billion job.

Durotoye, who spoke at the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria’s Colloqum to mark its 40-year anniversary in Abuja on Monday, said that with the right values, there won’t be corruption in Nigeria.

According to him, ” I once got a call from a man of God in the presidency some years ago. He asked that I bring a proposal on ethical leadership across the 774 local governments in Nigeria.

“I quickly arranged for my team that they should put together the cost of materials without adding any other cost. It amounted to N1.3 billion. When I submitted my proposal, I got a call from him. He said he told them that I won’t put anything for myself and that they’ll be putting N700m for me, but that I should send an invoice of N5 billion.

“I asked him again that, sir, you want me to do something on ethical leadership and also add such cost? He said, yes, if we don’t do it that way, they’ll give it to another people, and they may not even do it.”

” He said it doesn’t matter that I should send an invoice within three days. I had to switch off my phone for three days because such is at variance with my values.

“Guess what? around December that year, I saw in a newspaper that EFCC arrested five people in the presidency over N425 ethical leadership fund. I don’t think you even remember their names now. But if I was involved, the headline would have read; ” Fela Durotoye, four others arrested by EFCC over N425m.” And I won’t be here today.

Continuing, he said, ” When I was approached by President Bola Tinubu-led administration to do some stuff, I was there for six months without taking a dime from the government. I was responsible for my accommodation, transportation, and feeding.”