The administration of President Bola Tinubu is facing growing scrutiny over the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency the Presidency maintains was never created.
The controversy deepened on Tuesday as Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims he was appointed Director-General of the council, declared his readiness to surrender himself and all documents in his possession to either the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Nigeria Police Force to assist ongoing investigations.
Adeyemi also questioned how the PFIPC was included in the national budget despite the Presidency’s insistence that the agency never existed.
Speaking during a conversation with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, Adeyemi maintained that he was in police custody while the budget was being prepared and therefore could not have participated in the budget defence process.
The development followed President Tinubu’s directive on Tuesday ordering the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the PFIPC and all related issues.
The President also instructed the anti-graft agency to conclude its investigation and submit a detailed report within 30 days.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, said the directive came after the discovery of the purported PFIPC, which, according to the Presidency, was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal backing, presidential approval, executive instrument or any lawful basis.
According to the statement:
“One Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as the Director-General of the so-called PFIPC and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.
“Among the issues to be investigated by the ICPC are the forged appointment letters and other official government documents; the use of a false claim of presidential appointment to seek or obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation; and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.
“President Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate not only the conduct of the principal individual and other collaborators involved but also the wider circumstances that may have enabled a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy.
“The investigation is to examine the provenance and use of false official documents; the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained; the opening and operation of any related bank accounts; the source and movement of any funds involved; and the role of any public officer, private individual, financial institution, intermediary or other person or entity that may have facilitated, enabled or participated in the alleged scheme.
“The President further directed the Commission to identify any weaknesses in government and institutional procedures that may have been exploited and to recommend immediate measures to prevent the recurrence of similar abuses.
“All ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government have been directed to provide the ICPC, upon lawful request, with all relevant information, records and assistance required for the expeditious completion of the investigation.
“President Tinubu stated that the integrity of the Presidency and the institutions of the Federal Government must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses in the public service.
“The President directed that all persons found culpable be treated strictly in accordance with applicable law.”
At the centre of the controversy is a dispute between the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Adeyemi, who insists he was lawfully appointed to head the council.
Earlier, Gbajabiamila had issued a disclaimer warning diplomatic missions, financial institutions, development partners and the general public against dealing with Adeyemi, describing him as an impostor. He also stated that no agency known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council exists under the Tinubu administration and that no appointment had been made for such a position.
Adeyemi is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and impersonation. The Federal Government has listed Gbajabiamila and 10 others as prosecution witnesses.
‘I will submit myself to DSS any moment’ – Adeyemi
Speaking during a video call with VeryDarkMan, Adeyemi reiterated his willingness to cooperate with investigators by handing over every document in his possession to the DSS or the police.
He said the documents should be thoroughly authenticated to determine how the council emerged and identify those responsible.
“I’m willing and ready to help security agencies or panel set by the Mr President to unravel the truth. In fact, any moment from now, I will go to DSS or police to submit all the document I have to help them investigate and look into this matter.
“You will see any moment from now I will go. I’ll go to any DSS to submit my document, all I have. They should authenticate it. They should verify it. Then they should unravel the truth.”
Adeyemi also challenged the Presidency’s position by asking how the agency found its way into the national budget if it never existed.
He claimed he was in police detention during the budget preparation period, making it impossible for him to defend the agency’s budget before the National Assembly.
According to him, he honoured a police invitation on October 27 following a petition allegedly filed by Gbajabiamila regarding the activities of the PFIPC.
He said he remained in detention for 23 days, from October 27 to November 19, before being arraigned in court on November 27.
Adeyemi further claimed that by the time he regained his freedom, the office allocated to the council had already been reassigned to another government official.
He insisted that neither he nor anyone else defended the agency’s budget, making its inclusion in the Appropriation Act difficult to explain.
“You see this whole thing is confusing, as in very confusing. When the presidency, through the chief of staff, said the agency does not exist, I wondered.
“How come the agency found its way to the national budget, that both the Senate, where we have so many experienced senators, 360 members of representatives, would detect that this is a fake agency, then transmitted to the president to sign.
“How come the chief of staff is not aware that the said agency is inside the budget? So that’s why I’m confused, and that gave me the audacity to come out to do a rebuttal of his disclaimer, like two weeks ago.
“I’m not the one. During the preparation for budget, I was invited by the Nigerian Police Force. I was invited to come and respond to a petition from the Chief of Staff to the President, questioning my activity of the said agency.
“I honored the invitation. So they asked me so many questions. How did the agency come to force? I gave them the appointment letter. Then they asked me who helped you to get the appointment letter. I gave them the number, the name, everything.
“I was in detention for good 23 days. I was arrested or invited on 27th of October and released on 19th of November.
“I was in detention during the period for the preparation of budget.
“I did not defend the budget, and nobody went for the defence. That’s why I am confused that how come the budget that nobody defended it still finds its way into the national budget.
“By the time I came out from the detention, on 19 November, I was charged to court on 27th of November, and the said office space has been reallocated to another government officials. So I’ve not been going to office since that 27th of October. So that’s why I’m confused: how does the agency find its way to the national budget?
“I wouldn’t say he (Gbajabiamila) is lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s saying the truth. That’s why I requested, if you see from my press conference, I said I plead with Mr President to set up an investigative panel to look into this whole issue and unravel the truth, so we know who are involved.”
Suspend Gbajabiamila – Atiku’s aide
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s media aide, Paul Ibe, has called on President Tinubu to suspend his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and every other official allegedly linked to the PFIPC controversy pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Reacting via X to the President’s directive to the ICPC, Ibe argued that allowing key individuals to remain in office while investigations continue could compromise the integrity of the process.
“It is flagrantly wrong for President Bola Tinubu to order the ICPC to investigate the so-called ‘fake’ agency, Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) and its ‘phantom’ Director General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew without asking the key suspects, including his Chief of Staff, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, to go on suspension pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
He added:
“Not suspending all those involved in the #GbajaGate scandal is akin to them being a judge in their own case. Their continued stay in office while the investigation is going on gives them the opportunity to interfere with the investigation process.”
Probe should expose institutional failures – Lawyer
Human rights lawyer Maximus Ugwuoke welcomed President Tinubu’s decision to order an investigation, saying the probe should establish the facts and expose any institutional failures behind the controversy.
Speaking with DAILY POST, Ugwuoke described the matter as sensitive and said it should be resolved through an independent investigation rather than public speculation.
He argued that while the Presidency insists the PFIPC never existed, investigators must determine how it allegedly operated, whether public officials aided its activities and whether any laws were broken.
The lawyer also defended the President’s decision not to suspend Gbajabiamila, noting that the principle of presumption of innocence should prevail unless evidence of wrongdoing emerges.
He, however, maintained that any public official found culpable should face the appropriate legal and disciplinary consequences, regardless of status.
Adeyemi could not have acted alone – Analyst
Political analyst and communication expert at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, said the circumstances surrounding the PFIPC suggest that Adeyemi could not have acted independently.
He argued that obtaining office space, recruiting staff and securing budgetary allocation for the council would have required the support of influential government officials capable of navigating bureaucratic processes.
Odo said only an independent investigation can establish who, if anyone, facilitated the activities of the council.
He also described the controversy as another indication of broader concerns over corruption and public financial management, arguing that it has further weakened public confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts.
National Assembly should explain budget approval – Rights group
President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Barrister Olu Omotayo, also called for a thorough investigation, saying the controversy has raised serious questions about the credibility of Nigeria’s public institutions.
He noted that if the government insists the PFIPC never existed, then the National Assembly owes Nigerians an explanation as to how a budget was approved for an agency now described as fictitious.
Omotayo urged the legislature to actively demand accountability rather than remain silent, stressing that the outcome of the ICPC investigation would be crucial in restoring public confidence in government institutions.
