Nigerian Investigative Journalist David Hundeyin has emphasised the need for the public to know that there are external interests invested in the energy poverty that Nigeria and West Africa have historically faced, as the reason he went public with the bribe offer of N800,000 made to him by an international NGO, known as Dialogue Earth, to defame the Dangote refinery.
Speaking about the offer in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Hundeyin stated that he refused the bribe and brought it to the public, believing it to be in the public interest.
He emphasised the importance of public exposure as a powerful tool against hidden agendas.
“People need to know that there are external interests invested in the energy poverty that Nigeria and West Africa have historically faced. I don’t believe that my going public with it is going to change the world, however, I think that the power of public exposure is one of the last few powers that regular people in this part of the world still have.
“A lot of the powers that these foreign actors wield can be wielded because it is done in secret because people don’t even know they exist.”
Hundeyin argued that many foreign actors benefit from Africa’s persistent energy challenges, a claim he says has previously been dismissed as conspiracy theory.
“Prior to this incident, if you were to come out and tell people that there are players in the global development space or in the NGO space who would very much like the status quo to be preserved in terms of Africa being poor and Nigeria suffering from energy poverty, despite being one of the world’s largest energy exporters, it would sound like a conspiracy theory.
“There is a narrative war being fought by foreign entities, using African faces to lead this attack,” he claimed. This, he argues, is part of a broader strategy to preserve the status quo of energy poverty in Africa despite the continent’s vast resources.
He also noted a swift counter-narrative in Nigerian media, with some platforms dismissing his claims as sensationalist and accusing him of seeking attention.
“There’s already a pushback where articles are being sponsored to undermine my report,” Hundeyin said, criticising the media’s complicity in this narrative.
Hundeyin admitted that while he has been approached for commissioned work before, this is the first time he faced an offer to write against his own country’s interests.
“It is not the first time in terms of being commissioned, that I have been approached to write a story or an article. It is very common within the journalism space but this is the first time that someone has come to me with an offer to write about something that affects my country, and affects me potentially, basically telling me to write against my own interest.”
He further expressed skepticism about the government’s role, noting his disillusionment with their inaction.
“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 it is only the public that can rescue this thing now, because clearly the government of the day at the very least, doesn’t seem to care if Dangote refinery takes off or not.” Hundeyin asserted.
He warned of the potential disaster for Nigeria and Africa if the $20 billion Dangote refinery project were to fail, underscoring the critical nature of this issue for the continent’s future.
Hundeyin on Saturday, had raised serious allegations against an international NGO, known as Dialogue Earth, accusing them of attempting to commission a smear campaign targeting the Dangote Refinery under the pretext of environmental concerns.
In a series of posts on X, Hundeyin disclosed that the foreign NGO, previously known as China Dialogue Trust, offered him 800,000 Naira (about $500) to craft an article focused on environmental issues surrounding Nigeria’s first major oil refinery.
Hundeyin stated that the implied, though unstated, objective was to create a pretext for the Nigerian government to potentially shut down or restrict the refinery’s operations, citing “energy transition commitments” and “environmental policy.”
Chioma Kalu
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