Why I Exposed the Bribe Offer to Write Against Dangote Refinery

365NEWS reports that an investigative journalist, David Hundeyin has revealed on X how he resisted the temptation to accept a bribe for writing a smear piece against the Dangote Refinery, many were skeptical.

Last weekend, Hundeyin shared a series of posts detailing his internal struggle about going public with serious allegations against an international NGO, Dialogue Earth, which he accused of attempting to commission a smear campaign against the Dangote Refinery under the guise of addressing environmental concerns.

According to Hundeyin, the NGO, previously known as China Dialogue Trust, offered him N800,000 (approximately $500) to write an article focusing on the environmental impact of the Dangote Refinery.

“I debated long and hard about whether to make this public, but I believe it’s necessary to send a message to those external interests working with internal forces against the welfare of half a billion West Africans. We must show that we take our destiny seriously and will not be trifled with.

“Last week, I received an offer of N800,000 from an international NGO called Dialogue Earth (formerly China Dialogue Trust) to write an article claiming that the Dangote Refinery is harmful to the environment, citing vague concerns about ‘Environmental Issues,’ ‘Climate Change,’ ‘Energy Transition Policy,’ and ‘COP 28.’

“The unspoken but clear goal was to have a prominent local voice argue for the Nigerian government to shut down the refinery based on its ‘energy transition commitments’ and ‘environmental policy.’ While this wasn’t immediately obvious, I suspected it and accepted the offer to see the brief and gather hard evidence. I’ve attached screenshots from the brief below,” Hundeyin explained.

Some netizens believed him and praised his integrity in making such an important revelation in the interest of the Nigerian people, while also advising him to stay safe.

For those who doubted his claims, Hundeyin reiterated his story on Arise Television during the week, explaining that foreign actors exploit Africa’s energy challenges and that a narrative war against the Dangote Refinery was being waged to maintain energy poverty in Nigeria.

He emphasized that he went public to make people aware that “there are external interests invested in the energy poverty that Nigeria and West Africa have historically faced.”

Hundeyin underscored the power of public exposure as a vital tool against hidden agendas, maintaining that he was indeed offered N800,000 by Dialogue Earth to defame the Dangote Refinery. He added that the amount was an insult to the journalism profession.

“People need to know that there are external interests invested in maintaining energy poverty in Nigeria and West Africa. I don’t believe that going public will change the world, but public exposure is one of the last few powers that ordinary people still have.

“These foreign actors wield their power in secret because people don’t even know they exist,” he said.

Hundeyin pointed out that if he hadn’t gone public, his claims could have been dismissed as conspiracy theories. He argued that many foreign actors have long benefited from Africa’s persistent energy challenges, and this incident was part of a broader strategy to keep Africa in a state of energy poverty despite its vast resources.

When asked if he believed other journalists had been approached with similar offers, Hundeyin responded, “Absolutely, 100%! I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only journalist they reached out to, though I can’t prove that yet. After I went public, they mobilized a narrative response, accusing me of sensationalism and clout-chasing.”

He further disclosed that this was not the first time he had been approached for commissioned work but noted that it was the first time someone had asked him to write something against Nigeria’s interests.

“I’ve been approached before to write stories or articles, which is common in journalism, but this is the first time someone has asked me to write against my own country’s interest,” Hundeyin said.

He concluded by saying that he made the revelation for the benefit of Nigerians and did not expect any action from the government.

“I expect the government to do absolutely nothing, as they always do. I didn’t do this to get a response from the government. It was to educate the public because I think only the public can rescue this situation now, as the government clearly doesn’t seem to care if the Dangote Refinery succeeds or not.”