By Eshioromeh Sebastian
The embattled self-acclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, has disclosed that he was in detention throughout the period the phantom agency’s N1.3 billion budget allocation was prepared and defended…
His latest revelation has again raised fresh questions about how the fictitious body secured a place in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Adeyemi made the revelation on Tuesday during an Instagram interview with social media personality VeryDarkMan, his first public comments since President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the council and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.
“I was in detention for 23 days during the period the budget was being prepared,” Adeyemi stated. “I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf. That is why I am confused about how the agency found its way into the national budget.”
The disclosure complicates the narrative surrounding the scandal, suggesting that Adeyemi may not have been responsible for the budgetary inclusion. It also raises the possibility that other individuals, yet unidentified, facilitated the allocation through official channels.
“When the Presidency, through the Chief of Staff, said the agency does not exist, I wondered how an agency that found its way into the national budget could suddenly be described as fake,” he remarked.
Adeyemi, who has consistently insisted that his involvement was motivated by a desire to attract foreign investment to Nigeria, pledged full cooperation with investigating authorities. He declared his readiness to submit documents in his possession to security agencies, expressing confidence that the materials would assist investigators.
“I am willing and ready to help security agencies or any panel set up by Mr President to unravel the truth,” Adeyemi said. “In fact, any moment from now, I will go to the DSS or the police to submit all the documents I have to help them investigate and look into this matter. They should authenticate them. They should verify them. They should unravel the truth.”
On his earlier allegations against Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Adeyemi adopted a cautious posture, refraining from direct accusations while calling for an independent inquiry.
“I wouldn’t say he’s lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s telling the truth. That is why I requested that Mr President set up an investigative panel to unravel the truth, so we will know those involved,” he said.
Adeyemi also recounted that he was attacked by gunmen near Zuma Rock in September 2025, an incident he suggested added to the troubling circumstances surrounding his association with the council.
“I don’t really have a negative plan. It’s all about passion for the country. That agency is to bring foreign investors to Nigeria and make Nigeria a preferred destination for investment,” he maintained.
The controversy has deepened in recent weeks, with civil society organisations, opposition politicians, and senior lawyers demanding an independent inquiry into how the fictitious council operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex, opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, secured a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act, and engaged diplomatic missions—all without any enabling law or presidential instrument.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, who represents Adeyemi, has questioned how the body appeared in the national budget even if the appointment letter was allegedly forged. Falana has called for the ICPC to investigate both Adeyemi and Gbajabiamila.
The Presidency has maintained that the Federal Government never established the council and has denied any connection between Gbajabiamila and the scheme. Officials have pointed to forensic analysis by the police, which reportedly confirmed that the signature on Adeyemi’s appointment letter was forged.
President Tinubu has directed the ICPC to investigate the forged appointment letters and official government documents allegedly used by Adeyemi to seek official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, as well as the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.
The commission is expected to conclude its investigation and submit a comprehensive report within the 30-day deadline. Meanwhile, Adeyemi’s revelation about his detention during the budget preparation period has added a significant new dimension to a scandal that has exposed critical gaps in Nigeria’s budgetary and oversight processes. The question now confronting investigators is clear: if Adeyemi was in detention, who ensured the phantom agency’s allocation made it into the national budget?
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