SPOTTED: Convener of council disowned by presidency held meetings with diplomats, top government officials
SPOTTED: Convener of council disowned by presidency held meetings with diplomats, top government officials
Adeniyi Adeyemi, convener of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, held meetings with diplomats and top government officials — complete with photo ops — before Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, put out a disclaimer regarding the “agency” in June.
Gbajabiamila pulled the plug on June 11, describing Adeyemi’s purported appointment as head of the council as non-existent and fraudulent.
In a statement issued on July 1, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, backed the former house of representatives speaker, describing Adeyemi’s agency as fictitious and unknown to the federal government.
Onanuga said Gbajabiamila alerted the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in October 2025 after receiving complaints that the purported agency was operating alongside the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).
According to Onanuga, the chief of staff informed security agencies that forged appointment letters bearing his signature, reference numbers, and official seals were used to legitimise the fictitious agency.
The presidential spokesperson said Gbajabiamila could not have appointed Adeyemi because the agency did not exist.
Onanuga said the police arrested Adeyemi in Abuja on October 27, 2025, and recovered forged documents during searches of his office and residence.
He added that investigators discovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies.
Onanuga also alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to open a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account after misleading the office of the accountant-general of the federation.
MEETINGS
Adeyemi reportedly operated the purported agency from the middle to the latter part of 2025, during which he held meetings with envoys and top government officials from the Federal Secretariat complex.
In July 2025, Adeyemi met with Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, as part of efforts to align policy ambition with legislative resolve.
According to Punch newspaper, the meeting was held at the deputy speaker’s office in the national assembly.
Adeyemi with Benjami Kalu, deputy speaker, house of representative
Kalu reportedly welcomed the engagement between both agencies and arms of government, describing it as “a bridge between national ambition and actionable policy”.
He also reaffirmed his readiness to provide legislative backing for initiatives that would drive investment, job creation, and long-term growth.
Similarly, in September 2025, Adeyemi met with Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to The Nation, the meeting, which held at the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Abuja, was part of efforts to deepen collaboration between the purported presidential council and the EFCC to strengthen Nigeria’s drive for foreign direct investment (FDI).
Adeyemi, in a statement shared on the EFCC’s X page, said while many prospective investors had shown interest in Nigeria, due diligence was necessary to ensure funds were not linked to terrorism or other illicit activities.
Between June and September last year, Adeyemi also held a series of meetings with diplomats and Nigerian ministers.
In August, he met with Suwaiba Ahmad, minister of state for education, and Yusuf Sununu, minister of state for humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, to bolster the government’s poverty reduction and education programmes.
In the same month, he also engaged Thirapath Mongkolnavin of the Royal Thai Embassy, and Matthawut Malisuwan, deputy head of mission, as part of efforts to foster foreign investment in Nigeria.
Adeyemi paid a courtesy visit to Ola Olukoyede, EFCC chairman
Adeywmi with Saheed balogun, Nollywood actor
Adeyemi and his team at the office of Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction
Adeyemi with Thirapath Mongkolnavin, Ambassador Designate to Thailand
Adeyemi attends 80th anniversary of Vietnam in Abuja
BUDGETARY ALLOCATION
Adeyemi had challenged Gbajabiamila’s disclaimer.
He questioned how the purported agency allegedly appeared in the 2026 budget if, as maintained by the presidency, the body does not exist.
A review of the 2026 Appropriation Act by TheCable indicates that the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council is expressly listed under the presidency, with a budgetary allocation of N1,302,978,784.
The allocation includes N802,978,783 for personnel costs, N200,000,001 for overhead expenditure and N300,000,000 for capital projects.
