•Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, acclaimed Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council
The embattled Director General of the “fake” Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, has explained the reasons he established the now-defunct agency.
Matthew, while speaking with social media critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a video call today, revealed that it was not unconnected to his passion for Nigeria’s outlook in the world, attracting foreign investors and promoting President Bola Tinubu’s administration, rather than for personal interest.
He also claimed that he was not aware of his agency’s budget insertion and defence in the national budget approved by the National Assembly and assented to by the President, reports The PUNCH.
The embattled DG said, “I established that amount (rumoured N400 million) for the agency’s office out of passion for the country. I wanted to bring in foreign investors to Nigeria so that I can write my name in gold. I am just desperate to serve.
“That’s the reason I paid the money. I just want to do my part for the country. That agency was established to bring in foreign investments to Nigeria and make Nigeria a preferred destination for foreign investors.
“I walk around the inter-ministerial agencies and partner with the MDAs and EFCC to make Nigeria a preferred world destination for investments. So, it’s not about personal interest. Before this whole brouhaha, we were expecting the world to be in Nigeria through our forthcoming global summit.”
Dismissing the presidency’s stance of being alien to the agency, Matthew said, “This whole thing is confusing especially when the presidency said that the agency does not exist. How come? The agency that found its way into the national budget. I didn’t prepare any budget. In fact, I was in detention for 23 days when the budget for the Presidential Foreign Council was prepared and defended in the National Assembly between October and November.
“The former Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had invited me to explain how I came about the agency from the Chief of Staff to the President. I gave him the name and number of the person that facilitated the appointment letter for me. I was thereafter detained.
“How come the budget that nobody defended still found its way into the national budget? By the time I came out on November 19, 2025, I was charged to court and they said the same office space had been reallocated to another government official. So I’ve not been going to the office since that October 27.”
While fielding questions on Gbajabiamila petitioning him, the embattled DG stressed that he did not meet with the Chief of Staff to discuss the petition but admitted speaking with him on the phone through his late friend, Dolapo Tanimola.
He argued that he has all the documents backing the establishment of the agency and is willing to submit them to the relevant authorities, stressing that he is ready to turn himself in for further clarification.
He continued, “Any moment from now, I will go to the police and DSS to submit every document that I have to support the investigation. My friend (Tanimola), who paid the money for the establishment of the agency, is now dead in a fire accident in a hotel in Utako, Abuja.”
Recall that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council sparked nationwide controversy after it appeared as one of the beneficiaries in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite the Presidency insisting that no such agency exists under the federal government.
The controversy broke after the National Assembly passed the 2026 budget with allocations to the council, raising questions over how an agency later disowned by the Presidency found its way into the federal appropriation process.
The presidency subsequently distanced itself from the council, maintaining that Tinubu neither approved its establishment nor appointed anyone to head it.
Following the development, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned security agencies over the alleged impersonation of the Presidency and the use of documents purportedly linked to the agency, leading to investigations by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.
Matthew was subsequently arrested and detained by the police before being arraigned over allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.
He has, however, consistently maintained his innocence, insisting that all documents in his possession were legitimately obtained.
As public outrage intensified over the agency’s inclusion in the federal budget, Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate how the council was inserted into the 2026 Appropriation Act despite not being recognised by the federal government.
The president also ordered that everyone found culpable in the alleged budget insertion be identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law, while directing relevant authorities to unravel the circumstances that led to the controversial allocation.
