The presidency has urged Nigerians to await the outcome of the court process involving Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claimed to have been appointed as Director-General of a fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, before drawing conclusions on the matter.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, accused Adeyemi of building a false identity around claims of heading a government agency and used forged documents to mislead members of the public and officials.
This followed controversy over Adeyemi’s claim that he was appointed by President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, as the director-general of the fictitious council.
The presidency said the Chief of Staff had raised concerns over the activities of the alleged fake agency after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council complained that another body appeared to be operating in conflict with its functions.
Gbajabiamila, on October 17, 2025, was said to have petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police to investigate individuals allegedly involved in forging appointment letters attributed to 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 the petition.
Onanuga said the petition was accompanied by a copy of the alleged forged appointment letter, the request for a note verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and photographs of activities obtained from Adeyemi’s website.
It added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier sought clarification on Adeyemi’s activities after he held a meeting with ambassadors at Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments, Abuja, without approval from the ministry.
The ministry, in a letter dated October 15, 2025, requested clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Staff on the status of Adeyemi’s agency.
“This act contravenes extant rules and regulations guiding diplomatic practices globally,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in its letter.
The National Security Adviser was said to have later written to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which also requested clarification from Tinubu’s Chief of Staff on October 29, 2025.
Gbajabiamila, in his response, denied issuing any appointment letter to Adeyemi or recognising the alleged council.
“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 presidency said police investigations led to Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27, 2025, at the office where he operated in Abuja.
It said searches of his office and residence in Suleja led to the recovery of documents and other exhibits, while Adeyemi allegedly told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola helped him obtain the appointment letter.
The statement said police later discovered that Tanimola had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel, Abuja, on October 22, 2025.
According to the presidency, police investigations established that the agency Adeyemi claimed to head did not exist, and that he allegedly forged documents, impersonated a government appointee and sought a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist visa applications for himself and members of his staff.
The statement added that investigators found that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine accounts linked to names of his alleged fictitious agencies.
It said he also allegedly used fake documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although no government funds were 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.
The police, according to Onanuga, later filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against Adeyemi and two others on November 27, 2025. He is expected to appear in court on July 27.
The presidency said Adeyemi made the recent claim about his appointment while he was on police bail, despite earlier statements made during police investigations.
It added that Adeyemi had previously made similar claims in 2016 when he presented himself as an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation (WYO), which he claimed was affiliated with the United Nations. The UN later denied the existence of such an organisation.
Onanuga advised Nigerians and politicians to not rely on Adeyemi’s claims before the court determines the facts of the case.
“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,” he said.
(The Whistler)