Loading ...ABUJA, NIGERIA — A corruption scandal of monumental proportions is currently ripping through the corridors of power at the Presidential Villa, threatening to dismantle the credibility of President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle. At the center of the explosive storm is a direct, shocking accusation by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claims he was forced to shell out a staggering ₦600 million simply to secure an appointment to head a federal agency—only to be disowned by the presidency when he refused to remit billions from a government take-off grant.
The scandal reached a boiling point after the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, issued a swift, sweeping disclaimer disowning both Prince Adeniyi and the agency in question—the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)—branding it completely non-existent and fraudulent. However, rather than burying the issue, the denial has opened a Pandora’s box of systemic forgery, budget padding, and institutional racketeering.
Inside the ₦600 Million Extortion and ₦24 Billion Kickback Allegations
According to detailed disclosures and allegations put forward by Prince Adeniyi, the deep institutional rot began during his appointment process. He alleged that he paid an upfront bribe of ₦400 million out of a negotiated ₦600 million deal to high-ranking presidency insiders to secure his seat as the head of the PFIPC.
The real war, Adeniyi claims, erupted when he refused to play ball with an elite extortion ring operating within Aso Rock. The warlords of the syndicate allegedly demanded that he surrender a massive 48 percent of a ₦24 billion take-off grant allocated to the council. His refusal to divert the multi-billion Naira public fund into private pockets is what allegedly triggered the presidency’s aggressive attempt to erase his office from existence.
The Great Contradiction: If It Doesn’t Exist, Who Built It?
In a frantic bid to wash its hands of the scandal, the Office of the Chief of Staff maintained that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council is a complete phantom, warning foreign embassies, financial institutions, and security agencies to avoid dealing with Prince Adeniyi.
But policy experts and investigative lookouts have quickly pulled receipts that completely shatter Gbajabiamila’s “ghost agency” defense. Critics and policy researchers point directly to the 2026 Appropriation Act—Nigeria’s official, legally binding national budget signed into law by President Tinubu—which explicitly details public funds allocated directly to the PFIPC.
The unbelievable bureaucratic puzzle has left Nigerians demanding answers to critical, damning questions:
- The Budget: If the agency does not exist, how did it successfully pass through budget defense sessions and secure over ₦1 billion in allocations within the official federal budget?
- The Staff: How did the Head of Service of the Federation officially approve and clear over 300 staff members to work for a “non-existent” council?
- The Banking: Under whose authority did the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) open official treasury accounts to process files and clear financial transactions for a phantom agency?
“The attempt by the Chief of Staff to turn facts upside down smacks of corruption at its peak,” veteran policy experts chided online. “The Chief of Staff may issue denials, but the Nigerian people are not fools. This denial is an affront to the collective intelligence of the nation.”
The 247ureports Takeaway: Produce The Documents!
This developing crisis has transcended a mere internet rumor; it is a full-blown national security and transparency scandal. If Prince Adeniyi is completely fabricating these metrics, he has committed a high-stakes crime against the state by falsely accusing the nation’s number-one administrative coordinator of extortion.
However, if the budget lines, CBN accounts, and staff payrolls exist on paper, then the presidency is actively trying to cover up a multi-billion Naira administrative syndicate.
247ureports is calling on both parties to move past verbal press statements and produce the raw evidence. Let the public see the appointment letters, the payroll registries, the CBN bank transcripts, and the evidence of the alleged ₦400 million upfront wire transfers. The Nigerian masses, currently suffocating under brutal economic realities, deserve to know if their commonwealth is being traded like pocket change inside the presidency.
We are digging into the 2026 budget files to extract the exact sub-head codes for the PFIPC. Stay tuned for our exclusive follow-up expose.
