Fake Presidential Council Secures Almost $1 Million Budget in Nigeria
When the 2026 national budget was signed, the newly‑formed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) appeared as a line item worth 1.3 bn naira (about $950 k). The council supposedly ran from an office in Abuja’s Federal Secretariat, employed civil servants, and operated a government‑domain website. Yet authorities later discovered it had no legal basis; its existence rested on a forged appointment letter signed by Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff.
Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the named director‑general, insists the council was created legally in 2024 and that he was properly appointed. He claims senior officials demanded bribes to secure his job and later tried to siphon the council’s funds. The president’s office denies these claims, declaring the council a fabrication.
Investigators now probe how the council, which never appeared in Nigeria’s 2023‑25 budget, was inserted into the 2026 budget. Commentators say it required collusion with officials inside the civil service hierarchy, from the secretary to the government of the federation to the budget office and parliament.
Police have launched a manhunt for Adeyemi, who is in hiding. His elderly father was detained after police searched his family home in Oyo State, a move that lawyers say is illegal. A human‑rights advocate notes that the case should not be sealed around one individual, but that those who aided the phantom agency must also be named.
The anti‑corruption commission is set to produce a report within 30 days, and Adeyemi is due to appear in court on 27 July. The story is a stark reminder of how rapidly a phantom government agency can be forged and funded, raising urgent questions about the integrity of Nigeria’s administrative machinery.
