The Presidency has moved to contain growing public controversy over a N1.3 billion budget provision linked to a body identified as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, insisting that the agency does not exist and describing its alleged leadership as part of an elaborate impersonation and forgery scheme now before the courts.
The clarification followed renewed public attention after economic and financial analyst Kalu Aja questioned why a council reportedly listed in the Presidency’s budget allocation would later be declared fictitious by government officials.
A check of the 2026 Appropriation Act shows that the agency appears at Number 18 under the Expenditure Item in the Presidency’s budget allocation, under code 0111062001, with a total budgetary allocation of N1,302,978,784. The amount was broken into three tranches of N802,978,783, N200,000,001 and N300,000,000.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Office of the Chief of Staff had long flagged the activities of one Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, who allegedly presented himself as Director-General of what the Presidency described as a non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
According to the statement, concerns first emerged after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) raised an alarm that another entity appeared to be operating in parallel, creating institutional confusion.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, subsequently wrote to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police on October 17, 2025, requesting investigations into individuals allegedly forging official appointment letters and falsely presenting themselves as presidential appointees.
The Presidency said forged documents bore fake signatures, reference numbers, and seals and were allegedly used to establish the council’s legitimacy.
Authorities also alleged that the group operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, held meetings with both foreign and Nigerian participants, and sought diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visa applications for members of the organisation.
According to the Presidency, the matter triggered concern within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after Adeyemi reportedly held engagements with ambassadors at Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja without official coordination through diplomatic channels.
The ministry subsequently sought clarification from both the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff regarding the status of the agency, warning that such engagements breached established diplomatic procedures.
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation also sought clarification following requests from government and non-government entities attempting to verify the council’s authenticity.
In multiple correspondences referenced in the statement, Gbajabiamila reportedly denied ever appointing Adeyemi and maintained that appointments into government agencies do not originate from his office.
The Presidency said police investigations later established that the agency had no legal existence and that appointment documents used by Adeyemi were forged.
Police investigations reportedly led to Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27, 2025, at an office in Abuja allegedly used for the operation.
Searches conducted at the office and a residence in Suleja reportedly yielded documents and materials linked to the operation.
According to investigators, Adeyemi claimed during questioning that another individual assisted him in obtaining the appointment letter, but police later confirmed the individual had died before the arrest.
The investigation also allegedly uncovered 34 bank accounts linked to the suspect, including accounts opened under entities described as fictitious investment promotion and public-private partnership agencies.
Police further alleged that forged documentation was used to open an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria through misrepresentation to the Office of the Accountant-General, although investigators stated that no public funds were transferred into the account.
Authorities subsequently filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi and two others at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in November 2025, with court proceedings scheduled for July 27.
The latest statement from the Presidency came after renewed debate over the appearance of a similarly named council in budget documents.
Reacting on X, economist and finance analyst Kalu Aja argued that if the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council appears within the approved Presidency budget with a N1.3 billion allocation, questions arise over whether the budget structure itself contained the agency or whether official explanations were inconsistent.
Aja said the issue was straightforward to verify because the allocation formed part of documents approved through the federal budget process and publicly available through government records.
He argued that the development raises broader concerns over budget scrutiny and institutional accountability within government.
Responding indirectly to the criticism, Onanuga urged politicians and commentators not to rely solely on claims made by Adeyemi, stressing that the matter is already before the court and remains subject to judicial determination.
The Presidency also referenced an earlier 2016 episode in which Adeyemi allegedly claimed affiliation with a supposed United Nations-linked youth organisation later denied by the UN.
With questions now extending beyond the criminal allegations to budget documentation and appropriation processes, attention may shift to whether the disputed council appeared in official federal budget schedules and how the allocation was classified during approval and implementation.
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