Nigeria's Presidency Denies Fake Council, Clears Chief of Staff

The Presidency has declared that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) – also referenced as a Presidential Economic Advisory Council – never existed and has exonerated Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila from any role in its creation. The statement, issued by Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, says the alleged agency appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of about N1.3 billion, yet no legal basis or approval was ever granted.

Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who presented himself as the council’s Director‑General, is accused of forging appointment letters, using counterfeit signatures and seals, opening dozens of bank accounts (including a Central Bank of Nigeria account) and holding meetings with foreign ambassadors while claiming official status. The Chief of Staff first alerted the Department of State Services and the police on 17 October 2025, prompting an investigation that led to Adeyemi’s arrest in Abuja on 27 October 2025. Police filed an eight‑count charge of forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, and the case is slated for trial on 27 July 2026.

Opposition figures and legal commentators have called for an independent inquiry into how a non‑existent body secured a budget line and whether any bribe – alleged at N400 million – was paid to Gbajabiamila. The Presidency maintains that no government funds entered the purported council and that Gbajabiamila had no authority to appoint heads of agencies.