The Presidency on Saturday alleged that insiders within government institutions aided Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi in operating the controversial and allegedly fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The claim deepens the controversy surrounding Adeyemi, who allegedly presented himself as Director-General of the non-existent council, despite repeated denials by the Presidency. The matter has also drawn attention to the role of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with critics calling for an independent investigation following reports of budgetary provisions linked to the disputed agency.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said investigators from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must identify and prosecute officials who allegedly facilitated the scheme.
Ajayi argued that Adeyemi could not have allegedly forged presidential appointment letters, operated 34 bank accounts in the names of questionable government agencies, hosted foreign ambassadors and opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account without the support of insiders.
“What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. Investigators must unravel the network, dismantle it and ensure everyone involved faces due legal process,” Ajayi said.
He described Adeyemi as “a questionable operator” who was allegedly exploiting public perception of corruption by dragging Gbajabiamila into the controversy in an attempt to evade accountability.
Ajayi also maintained that while many had criticised the institutional lapses that allowed the alleged scheme to flourish, they overlooked the fact that government agencies ultimately uncovered the irregularities. According to him, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detected anomalies surrounding the PFIPC and alerted the appropriate authorities.
The Presidency further recalled that on June 11, 2026, Gbajabiamila issued a public disclaimer notifying foreign missions, financial institutions and international organisations that the PFIPC had no legal status and that no appointments had been made under its name.
