PFIPC Scandal: Adeyemi Reveals How ₦1.3 Billion Made It Into 2026 Budget

• Self-styled DG says he lobbied Budget Office officials but denies paying bribes; Reps begin probe as Head of Service, CBN disown agency

LAGOS, Nigeria – The self-styled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, has explained how the agency was captured in the Federal Government’s 2026 budget, despite his arrest before the appropriation process was concluded.

Adeyemi made the claims in an interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a recording released shortly after his arrest. He said the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, had no hand in the N1.3 billion budgetary allocation, adding that he personally approached top Budget Office officials for the agency’s inclusion. He noted that the process was not completed before his arrest, saying he was surprised to later discover that the proposed agency had appeared in the budget.

The PFIPC scandal has drawn nationwide attention after it emerged that about ₦1.3 billion was allocated to the agency under Budget Code 0111062001 in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite the Presidency disowning the council as fictitious and without legal backing. The allocation comprised ₦802.98 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overheads, and ₦300 million for capital projects.

Adeyemi said he visited the Budget Office in December 2024 to seek inclusion of the agency in the 2025 Appropriation Bill but was informed that the budget process had already closed. “I went to that Budget Office for the 2025 budget. I submitted the letter and everything that I wanted, but I was told it was already late. When the 2025 budget came out and I didn’t see it, they told me it would now be for the 2026 budget. We kept in touch because they said it would be considered later,” he said.

He alleged that a female official helped him gain access to the office of the Director-General of Budget Office before he was referred to another director. “She helped me to see the oga. Oga now said, ‘Where is my shini?’ I said I don’t have any shini. He later asked me to meet one director,” he said. The director informed him that the proposal could no longer be accommodated in the 2025 budget but assured him that efforts would continue towards the 2026 appropriation. “They were trying for me that maybe they would include it, but unfortunately they said it could not be included in the 2025 budget. They said it would be for 2026,” he stated.

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Asked whether he paid any Budget Office official, Adeyemi said he only promised officials some favours on execution of the deal. “Honestly, I did not pay any money. I didn’t pay anybody. The only thing I promised was that if I started employing people, I could help them with employment opportunities,” he said. He admitted promising future favours to some officials but insisted no cash exchanged hands during his interactions at the Budget Office. “That was the favour I promised them. I did not give anybody money. It was just a promise that if they had people, I could employ them later,” he said.

According to Adeyemi, the process ended immediately after his arrest because his legal troubles overtook every other plan. He said: “Immediately there was a problem, everything stopped. Even the woman that wanted to help was calling but she couldn’t reach me. I told her to let everything stop. I didn’t even know until they said it was inside the budget. I had already left the office. Where would I still pursue the budget when I was already facing the court?” When the interviewer suggested officials might have inserted the agency into the budget after his arrest, Adeniyi said he could not explain how it happened. “I don’t know because once that problem started, everything stopped. Why would I still pursue the budget when I was already in trouble?” he said.

On allegations that he paid N400 million to facilitate his appointment, Adeniyi claimed the money was delivered in United States dollars through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola, and that he was not sure if it was delivered to Gbajabiamila. Asked the denomination of the money, he replied, “Dollars.” Asked who received it, he answered, “Dolapo.” Adeyemi also denied ever meeting the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, despite alleging that money was sent through Tanimola. Speaking further during the interview released on Tuesday, Adeyemi declared that he never met Gbajabiamila physically before or after his appointment. He said Tanimola acted as the intermediary throughout the process and facilitated the alleged N400 million payment made in dollars. “I never met Gbajabiamila physically before and after he was appointed. Dolapo Tanimola handled everything for me,” Adeniyi said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the PFIPC, on Tuesday heard testimonies from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with both institutions distancing themselves from creation and operation of the council. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, told the committee that her office had no constitutional responsibility to establish government agencies. “The approval and establishment of agencies is not within the purview of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. However, the OHCSF is responsible for approving the administrative structure of federal government agencies,” she said.

The Presidency had said the PFIPC is not a recognised government agency and that Adeyemi forged documents to present himself as an appointee and head of the agency. The Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) was established by former President Muhammadu Buhari and included prominent Nigerian economists, but the council has ceased to exist since President Bola Tinubu assumed office. Reports from the National Assembly suggest that PFIPC officials never appeared before the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters, the body ordinarily responsible for vetting agencies before their budgets are approved. The allocation is said to have entered through a backdoor arrangement without budget defence.

The Senate has resolved to await the outcome of an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before taking action on the controversy. President Bola Tinubu has directed the ICPC to investigate the entire scandal and report back within 30 days. The House of Representatives has also launched its own investigations into the matter.

PFIPC Scandal: Adeyemi Reveals How ₦1.3 Billion Made It Into 2026 Budget