Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, the embattled director-general of the supposed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, has revealed that he personally lobbied Budget Office officials to include the controversial organization in the Federal Government’s 2026 budget.
Adeniyi made the charges in an Instagram video posted on Sunday following his detention, during a conversation with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan.
The 2026 Appropriation Act awarded around ₦1.3 billion to an accused fictitious agency, despite ongoing inquiries into its validity.
During the interview, Adeniyi cleared Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff, of any blame for the financial allocation, saying that he had never met him in person.
According to him, he approached the Budget Office in December 2024 to request that the agency be included in the 2025 budget but was told that the allocation procedure had already concluded.
“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,” he said.
Adeniyi alleged officials later advised him that the proposal would instead be considered for the 2026 budget.
“When the 2025 budget came out and I didn’t see this budget, those people that I went to then said it would now be for the 2026 budget. We kept in touch because they said it would be considered later,” he added.
He alleged that a female official facilitated access to the Director-General of the Budget Office, who later referred him to another senior official.
“She helped me to see the oga. Oga now said, ‘Where is my shini?’ I said I don’t have any shiny. He later asked me to meet one director,” he claimed.
According to Adeniyi, the director told him that the proposal could not be accommodated in the 2025 budget but assured him efforts would continue ahead of the 2026 appropriation.
“They were trying for me, hoping 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 said.
Speaking on whether he paid any official to facilitate the process, Adeniyi denied offering money.
“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.
“That was the favor I promised them. I did not give anybody money. It was just a promise that if they had people, I could employ them.”
He said that his detention brought the process to a halt, and he was surprised to hear that the agency appeared in the 2026 budget.
“Immediately, there was a problem; everything stopped. Even the woman that wanted to help was calling because she couldn’t reach me because she was scared. 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 again when I was already facing court?”
Speaking on whether Budget Office 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.
He also spoke on allegations that he paid ₦400m to secure his purported appointment, claiming the money was delivered in United States dollars through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola.
“Dollars,” he replied when asked the currency of the money.
When asked who received the funds, he responded, “Dolapo.”
Adeniyi, however, stressed that he never met Gbajabiamila physically.
“I never met Gbajabiamila physically before and after he was appointed. Dolapo Tanimola handled everything for me.”
The allegations made by Adeniyi during the interview have not been verified, and the officials and institutions mentioned have not publicly responded to the latest claims.
Chronicle NG reported that Adeniyi allegedly operated a fictitious government agency known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, presenting himself as its Director-General while allegedly using forged government documents and operating from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
The appointment letter on which he relied was believed to be fraudulent and improperly attributed to the president’s office of the chief of staff.
Security officials then arrested and accused him of forgery and impersonation.
Despite the agency’s lack of legal existence, it was included in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of approximately ₦1.3 billion, causing public indignation and requests for a probe into Nigeria’s budget process.
The presidency has often referred to Adeniyi as an impostor and distanced the federal government from the alleged outfit.
