A former presidential candidate of the now-defunct Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN, Fela Durotoye, has claimed he turned down a chance to siphon N5bn in a fraudulent government deal.

According to him, this came amid serious pressure from a government official, who worked in a previous administration and claimed to be a pastor.

Durotoye stated this while speaking at the biannual conference of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

According to him, the official approached him with a lucrative training contract, and claimed he (Durotoye) had already been picked for the job.

He was informed the programme would involve trainings across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria within eight weeks.

Durotoye’s team went ahead to prepare an invoice, calculating a price of N1.3bn for the training.

“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,” Durotoye said.

He added: “I got a phone call and it happened to be a Man of God from Abuja who called me to say Fela, there’s an opportunity that I want you to explore, in fact let me be clear with you, you have already gotten it.

“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 N5b.

“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.’”

As pressure mounted, Durotoye revealed he switched off his phone.

Durotoye said three months after the conversations, some officials in the presidency were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for stealing N426m from an ethical leadership training fund.

Durotoye also disclosed that he did not earn a salary while serving under the President Bola 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 said.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has urged the Federal Government to pay the 2025 Medical Residency Training Funds, the outstanding 2023 and 2024 MRTF, and the arrears of the 2022 MRTF.

NARD also expressed disappointment over the non-payment of the arrears of the upwardly revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure salary and other outstanding salary structures.

The doctors made this known at a press briefing on Saturday after its 2025 January National Executive Council Meeting in Abuja, themed “Empowering doctors with leadership and entrepreneurship skills: A panacea for universal health coverage and a brighter healthcare system,” and sub-themed, “Building resilience a s strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system for effective disaster and disease management.”

Speaking at the briefing, the President of NARD, Dr Tope Osundara, stated that the council, however, commended the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for convening a stakeholders’ meeting to address issues related to the MRTF.

“The NEC observed with dismay the persistent short-changing of our members over the past five years, as there have been no consequential adjustments to the CONMESS basic salary and allowances, in clear violation of the provisions of the 2009 collective bargaining agreement agreement.

“The NEC appreciated the Chief Medical Directors who have been fully paid the Accoutrement Allowance arrears. The NEC expressed concern about the persistent manpower shortage in most hospitals. The NEC has observed some of the positive strides that the CMD of Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital Complex, Prof John Okeniyi, has commenced towards ensuring and maintaining industrial peace within the hospital.

“The NEC commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike, for ensuring the payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances, the disbursement of MRTF, and the employment of doctors in the FCT. The NEC observed the persistent drift of specialized medical manpower in privately-owned teaching hospitals due to poor remuneration,” Osundara said.

He noted that the council resolved that the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria should expedite the payment of the 2025 MRTF, ensure the settlement of the outstanding 2023 and 2024 MRTF, and facilitate the payment of the 2022 MRTF arrears in line with the stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

“The NEC urges the FG to promptly pay the arrears of the upwardly revised CONMESS, bad other outstanding salary arrears without any further delay. The NEC demands the full implementation of the consequential adjustments for the 2019, and 2034 minimum wage on our basic salary, and allowances, along with the payment of the accrued arrears.

“The NEC mandates the National Officers Committee to continue engagements with the FG. If there is no significant response after six weeks, the NEC will call an emergency NEC to reappraise the situation. The NEC demands that all CMDs/MDs complete the payment of the 2023/2024 accoutrement allowance arrears and that the government promptly process and pay the 2025 accoutrement allowance arrears.

“The NEC calls for sustained engagement with the Federal Ministry (Health and Social Welfare) to ensure the seamless and continuous employment of doctors in our health institutions, helping to mitigate the ongoing brain drain,” he emphasised.

He highlighted that the council enjoined the Ministry of Health and the CMD of OAUTHC to address ongoing issues impacting the welfare of resident doctors, including the payment of unpaid salary arrears, the reversal of salary deductions, and the large-scale recruitment of more resident doctors into the hospital.

He added that the NEC urged state governors to prioritise the welfare of doctors in state-owned hospitals, and training institutions to reduce brain drain and foster industrial harmony.

He said the council also called on CMDs/CEOs of privately-owned teaching hospitals to improve welfare packages for resident doctors to prevent brain drain.

Some Nigeria Police school staffers, who are on extended service following the Federal Government’s decision to increase the retirement age for teachers from 60 to 65, are expressing frustration over the authorities’ refusal to pay their salaries for 33 months.

During separate telephone interviews on Sunday, the aggrieved teachers expressed their frustrations to TheNigerian Metro, revealing that their families were struggling with financial hardship and debt.

They explained that they had to borrow money to sustain their livelihood after the police stopped paying their salaries due to issues surrounding the extension of their service.

TheNigerian Metro reports that the five-year service extension for teachers in Nigeria was introduced by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, effective January 1, 2021.

The beneficiaries of the service extension, including teachers in police schools, the army, navy, air force, and Federal Government colleges in Nigeria, have called for the immediate implementation of the new service scheme.

However, while other institutions, such as the Ministries of Education and Defence, promptly implemented the policy, the aggrieved teachers accused the former Nigeria Police Force Education Officer, DCP Rabi Umar (retd.), of refusing to enforce it. They claimed this decision had plunged the families of the police school teachers into financial hardship.

The situation took a new turn in November 2023 when the aggrieved teachers, despite having their salaries restored by the current Force Education Officer, ACP Ibidapo Oludare, did not receive their outstanding arrears.

Despite numerous appeals by the teachers for the payment of their over 33-month outstanding salaries, the aggrieved teachers lamented that the police authorities had failed to act.

Speaking to TheNigerian Metro on Saturday, one of the affected teachers, identified simply as Peter, revealed that in addition to the police refusing to pay their arrears, there had been unexplained deductions from their monthly salaries.

He said, “When our salaries were restored in November 2023, we noticed that the arrears were not paid. On top of that, deductions started appearing in the salaries we received. We have no idea what is going on.

“Some reported deductions of about N40,000, others N36,000, and some N20,000. It’s only in our education system that we experience these kinds of deductions. The deductions were made last December, and we have no idea what will happen in January.”

Expressing concern that her five-year service extension granted by the Federal Government would end in November 2025, Odi feared that her 33-month unpaid salary might be lost once her extension expires later in the year.

“I borrowed money from several people during the period when our salaries weren’t paid. It was only by the grace of God and the support of loved ones that I managed to get through that time. When the salary was eventually restored, I started paying back little by little. I had hoped that once the arrears were settled, I would clear my debts.

“Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. We are desperately appealing for assistance, as it has been an extremely challenging time. By November 2026, the five-year extension would have come to an end, yet our salaries remain unpaid. This means the extension has had no meaningful impact. We are humbly requesting help, as we are struggling to make ends meet.

Similarly, another teacher, identified only as Mrs Awo, shared that the unpaid salaries had had a severe impact on them, urging those in authority to intervene and offer their support.

She said, “My unpaid salary amounts to 33 months, from February 2021 to November 2023. I didn’t receive a single payment during that entire period. During that time, I had to borrow money and buy items on credit, relying on the support of my husband and children to get by.

“They promised that they would pay it, and that was their commitment. However, up until this very moment, nothing has been paid, even after our monthly payments were restored.”

Regarding the salary deductions, she explained that the issue had been ongoing for some time, saying, “You just collect whatever you see.” She emphasised that no one knows the exact amount of their salaries.

A related report was published on Monday, where some retired staff members of Lagos State University of Education, Ijanikin Campus, appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for intervention in the non-payment of their 31-month pension arrears, stating that the delay was causing them significant hardship.

When our correspondent called ACP Olubiyi on Tuesday to inquire about the delay in paying the salary backlog, his mobile phone rang unanswered.

Governor of Abia State Alex Otti has said the government remitted N310 million to the state chapter of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) last year to settle the members arrears of salary.

Otti announced this at a public event in the state capital, Umuahia, yesterday, insisting that the government is no longer in debt of salary arrears to the members.

“On the 24th of December, last year, we remitted N283,242,318.50 to the chapter, but unfortunately, the leaders are yet to credit the members accounts.

“Surprisingly, as of this morning, they have refused to pay the members the arrears. Now, the judiciary is an arm of government that is independent,” he said.

He said, in addition, he approved an additional N27 million for the chapter and paid the members a thirteenth-month salary, wondering why they remained on strike.

“Our job as government is to remit the money to the chapter’s account, and the job of the leaders is to pay the members,” the governor asserted.

According to him, the announcement was a sequel to a report that the state branch of the Nigerian Bar Association had appealed to him to pay the members the arrears.

The governor, therefore, advised the members to hold their leaders responsible for the delay and also for the branch to properly understand the situation.

The chapter had since last October embarked on an indefinite strike, citing exclusion from the recently approved N70,000 minimum wage, non-payment of gratuities, and other entitlements.