₦airaland Forum

Since his appointment as chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu on June 2, 2023, Femi Gbajabiamila has remained one of the most influential figures in the administration. As gatekeeper to the presidency and a key figure in government decision-making, the former speaker of the house of representatives occupies a position that demands not only integrity but also the appearance of integrity.

Over the past three years, however, his tenure has repeatedly been overshadowed by allegations ranging from influence-peddling in political appointments to questions surrounding his alleged involvement in controversies linked to government agencies and public funds. While allegations are not proof of guilt, the growing number of controversies associated with the office of the chief of staff raises important questions that can no longer be ignored.

In every democracy, public trust is the currency of governance. Once that trust begins to erode, institutions suffer, and citizens become increasingly cynical about government promises. This is why the latest controversy involving the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) deserves urgent and transparent scrutiny.

The matter became even more troubling after Gbajabiamila publicly distanced himself and the presidency from the organisation, insisting that no such agency exists within the structure of government. The disclaimer was categorical and unambiguous. The chief of staff warned both Nigerians and international stakeholders to be wary of the promoters of the organisation.


Ordinarily, that should have settled the issue. Instead, the disclaimer opened the door to even more questions.

The director-general of the group, Yemi Adeyemi, has publicly challenged the chief of staff’s position and petitioned President Bola Tinubu to order an investigation into the matter. According to Adeyemi, references to the PFIPC and related agencies allegedly appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act. He has also raised questions about reported budgetary allocations, alleged official documentation and other administrative actions connected to the agencies. In his press statement, he asked some critical questions and raised some allegations that need clarification.

Most of these claims remain unverified. Neither the presidency nor the chief of staff has publicly responded to the latest allegations. Yet the issues raised are serious enough to warrant a comprehensive investigation.


The controversy became even more significant following a report by TheCable, which indicated that the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was listed under the presidency in the 2026 budget with an allocation exceeding N1.3 billion.

If accurate, such a development creates an obvious contradiction between official budget documents and the presidency’s public position that the agency does not exist. Nigerians deserve clarity.

The question is not whether Gbajabiamila is guilty of wrongdoing. The question is whether the circumstances surrounding these allegations are sufficiently grave to require an independent investigation. The answer is yes.

In February 2024, speaker of the house of representatives Tajudeen Abbas publicly called on security agencies to investigate allegations involving Gbajabiamila on his alleged link to the scandal that ousted Betta Edu, former minister of humanitarian affairs.

Abbas rightly warned that while fake news and malicious campaigns must be discouraged, allegations capable of undermining public confidence in democratic institutions should not simply be dismissed. That intervention remains relevant today.

The danger in situations like this is not merely the allegations themselves. The greater danger is the perception that powerful individuals can use public office to shield themselves from scrutiny. Such perceptions weaken institutions, damage democratic accountability and fuel public distrust.

For President Tinubu, the stakes are particularly high. Since assuming office, the president has repeatedly assured Nigerians that his administration is committed to fighting corruption and promoting transparency in public service. Those promises cannot remain mere slogans. They must be demonstrated through actions, especially when questions arise around individuals occupying the highest offices of government.

This is why the president must resist the temptation to treat the matter as a political disagreement between rival interests.

What is required is a credible, independent and transparent inquiry. Such an investigation should examine every aspect of the controversy. It should review the status of the agencies in question, the circumstances surrounding any budgetary allocations linked to them, the authenticity of relevant government documents, the allegations of financial transactions, and any other claims made by the parties involved. The findings should also be made public.

Only a transparent process can restore confidence in the integrity of government institutions.

For Gbajabiamila himself, stepping aside temporarily while investigations are conducted should not be viewed as an admission of guilt. Rather, it would be an opportunity to demonstrate respect for democratic accountability and confidence in the investigative process.

Around the world, public officials have voluntarily stepped aside while investigations are ongoing, not because they were guilty but because they recognised that public office should not become a shield against scrutiny.

The office of the chief of staff is too important to be distracted by controversy.

By temporarily relinquishing his duties during an investigation, Gbajabiamila would help eliminate concerns about undue influence, witness intimidation or interference with the investigative process. More importantly, he would strengthen public confidence in whatever conclusions emerge from the inquiry.

Failure to do so would inevitably create the impression that there is one standard for ordinary Nigerians and another for politically connected officials. That would be a dangerous message.

The issue before the country today transcends personalities. It is bigger than Gbajabiamila, Adeyemi or any other individual involved in the dispute. It concerns the integrity of public institutions and the credibility of government itself.

Nigerians pay taxes under difficult economic conditions. They deserve to know how public funds are allocated and spent. They deserve answers when contradictions emerge between official statements and public records. They deserve assurances that no public official, regardless of status or influence, is beyond accountability.

The Tinubu administration now faces a defining test. If the president genuinely believes in transparency and accountability, he should immediately constitute an independent panel to investigate the allegations and make its findings public. The investigation should be insulated from political interference and should have the authority to summon relevant officials and review all necessary documents. The same yardstick that was used for Betta Edu should also be used for Gbajabiamila if found guilty.

Simultaneously, Gbajabiamila should step aside to allow the process to proceed without controversy. Anything less would undermine public confidence and strengthen suspicions that anti-corruption rhetoric is not being matched by action.

Democracy survives when institutions are stronger than individuals. It flourishes when public officials submit themselves to scrutiny. And it earns the trust of citizens when allegations of wrongdoing are investigated thoroughly, fairly and transparently.

The time for that process is now. Nigerians deserve nothing less than the truth.

Akinsuyi, former group politics editor of the Daily Independent, writes from Abuja. He can be reached via shabydayo@gmail.com
https://www.thecable.ng/the-gbajabiamila-controversy-a-test-of-tinubus-anti-corruption-credentials/

How did that agency made it into the budget if it is illegal as Gbajabiamila claimed

I don’t think there’s a single Nigerian that would expect Tinubu to fight corruption.

Nigerians are all over this platform on multiple threads exchanging words with South Africans over immigration matters - in South Africa.

Meanwhile...not a word from the same Nigerians on the incredible matter of how their presidency is confused...about whether an agency with a billion Naira budget in the 2026 Appropriation Act - is real or not.

This is not acceptable. This scandal is right up there in the league of those nonsensical tales about how snakes and other reptiles 'swallowed' JAMB budgets a few years ago.

Nigerians don't want to hold their own government accountable - but they want to lecture South Africans on how to run their country. It doesn't work that way.

Scandals like this Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) matter are exactly why our budgets just don't work. Institutional failures like these are some of the reasons why Nigerians are economic refugees in their thousands, across the globe. But we are still not prepared to ask our governments the hard questions that need to be asked.

This PFIPC news broke some days ago. Still not a word from the presidency. The chief of staff has not stepped aside for an independent investigation - and his principal has said nothing. Nigerian lawmakers have said nothing - yet again providing ample proof that our so called institutions simply do not exist.

Nigeria will remain a cautionary tale for others.

Sheuns:
I don’t think there’s a single Nigerian that would expect Tinubu to fight corruption.

Exactly!!!
His supporters know this and that's why they support him. Have you ever heard his supporters talk of him fighting corruption?

But he went to Brazil and declared that he fought corruption to a standstill

Elusive001:
Exactly!!!
His supporters know this and that's why they support him. Have you ever heard his supporters talk of him fighting corruption?

bolaayenimo:
But he went to Brazil and declared that he fought corruption to a standstill

But did he fight corruption?

So many things dey happen for this country but if no be greed, why will he allegedly requested 48 per cent of the take-off grant (N27,395,510,136) after collecting a total sum of 400 million by proxy?

Govt appropriating budgetary provision for an agency that is non-existent according to Tinubu's COS.

Imagine this scandal of monumental proportion and of international embarrassment. Nothing new. A govt that came in with many corrupt baggages can't fight corruption.

See! take this to the bank, tinubu can never appoint or elect or endorse anybody who is upright never! You must be corrupt, infact very corrupt for tinubu to work with you.

The president's silence on the allega­tions is unacceptable

Leboska:
See! take this to the bank, tinubu can never appoint or elect or endorse anybody who is upright never! You must be corrupt, infact very corrupt for tinubu to work with you.

Sometjing fishy here

STATEHOUSE STATEMENT

Re: The Matter of Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and the fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council

We are aware of the public interest in the matter of a man called Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who has been parading himself as the director-general of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

The office of the Chief of Staff to the President first blew the whistle on the existence of the illegal agency, following complaints from officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council that another government agency appeared to be functioning at cross-purposes with it.

The Chief of Staff, on October 17, in a letter, asked the DSS and the Police to probe the activities of ‘fraudsters and imposters’ forging appointment letters purportedly from his office.

“The attention of this office has been drawn to the activities of certain individuals and groups engaged in the forgery of official appointment letters purportedly issued from my office. The fake documents, bearing falsified signatures, reference/folio numbers, and seals, have been used to claim leadership appointments to non-existent entities, with particular reference to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.

“The aforementioned entity under the leadership of one Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as Director-General is said to have an office at the Federal Secretariat Complex Phase 111, 2nd Floor. Also, they have been parading themselves as a legitimate government agency, hosting meetings with both foreigners and Nigerian citizens, and even going so far as to request a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United States of America to facilitate visas for some of their staff.

“The above development not only constitutes a serious criminal act but also undermines the integrity of the presidency and the credibility of official government communication.

“I therefore urge you to initiate a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those involved and also to uncover the network facilitating the forgery,” the Chief of Staff wrote in his petition to the security agencies.

The letter to the security agencies was accompanied by a copy of the forged appointment letter, a copy of the request for a note verbal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and pictures of engagements obtained from the illegal agency's website.

Around the time the Chief of Staff lodged the complaint with the security agencies, the existence of the fake agency had raised concerns within the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

In a letter on October 15, 2025, the Foreign Affairs Ministry wrote to the office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff to the President, requesting clarification on the status of Adeyemi’s agency. The letter, which Ambassador Anderson Madubuike signed, followed Adeyemi’s October 10 meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments in Asokoro, without recourse to the ministry.

“This act contravenes extant rules and regulations guiding diplomatic practices globally,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in its letter.

On October 20, the Office of the National Security Adviser wrote to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on the request of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

On 29 October, the OSGF wrote to the Chief of Staff requesting clarification. “This has become expedient owing to several requests from governmental and non-governmental bodies seeking to ascertain the status of the appointment under consideration”

Two days earlier, the Chief of Staff sent his own clear rebuttal to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, stating that he had never issued an appointment letter to Adeyemi as director general of the fake presidential foreign investment promotion council. The Chief of Staff could not have issued a letter of appointment to a non-existent agency. Moreover, the Chief of Staff does not make appointments or write letters, as these are the exclusive preserve of the Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation.

On November 5, 2025, the Chief of Staff responded to the OSGF, again flatly denying Adeniyi Adeyemi and his spurious agency. “Prince Adeniyi Matthew, director-general of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is unknown to any office, nor do we have any dealings with the said council.

“My attention was drawn to a letter of this purported application, which is fake, and my office has instructed the police and other relevant security agencies to carry out investigations on the person and the entity he claims to represent”, the chief of staff wrote.

The Police made the first move by responding to the chief of staff's letter dated 17 October and began their investigation. On 27 October, Adeyemi was arrested in Abuja at the Secretariat office where he operated his elaborate scam.

The police searched the office and Adeyemi’s home in Suleja, recovering vital documents and exhibits. In Adeyemi’s statement to the police, he claimed that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in procuring the fake appointment letter. Following his claim, the police went after the said Tanimola. The Police found that Tanimola died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Abuja on 22 October, five days before Adeyemi’s arrest. Tanimola’s body was seen by the police at the morgue, confirming the death.

The police were able to establish that the agency Adeyemi purportedly headed was fictitious, that he forged his appointment letter and the documents recovered in his office and home, that he falsely paraded himself as a government appointee, and that he falsely solicited a note verbal from the Foreign Affairs Ministry to enable him and his staff to obtain US visas. The police also found that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, with nine opened in the names of his fictitious agencies, known as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP), and the FCT Investment Promotion Act.

The Police found that Adeyemi, using the fake documents he created, fraudulently opened a CBN account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. According to the police, no government money has been transferred into the account.

“The act of the suspect constitutes criminal forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, thereby bringing the office of the Chief of Staff to the President and the Presidency to disrepute before the public and international community”, the police wrote in the report of the investigation conducted by the assistant commissioner, Kabir Mogaji.

Based on their investigations, the police filed an eight-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two of his accomplices on November 27, 2025. He is due in court on July 27.

Adeyemi was on police bail when he recently claimed that the Chief of Staff had appointed him as DG of the fictitious agency. This claim contradicted his statement to the police in November last year. His new claim prompted the Chief of Staff, on June 8, to issue a disclaimer consistent with earlier advisories that the man, called Adeyemi, is an impostor.

The case of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew is a clear case of a con artist who appears to have built a web of false claims to deceive unsuspecting government officials and the public into playing by his scam book. He has a history of fraudulent misrepresentation. In November 2016, he paraded himself as an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation (WYO), an affiliate of the United Nations (UN). He claimed to have been elected in New Delhi, India. The local media celebrated him until the UN denied the existence of such a body.

Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi's claim against the Chief of Staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker. They are advised to await the trial of Adeyemi and his accomplices, as well as the court's judgement, as comments made today are sub judice.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President,
Information and Strategy,
July 1, 2026