PFIPC scandal draws in OAGF, Falana, Ogbomoso leaders in fresh twists

• Agency never operated CBN account, says OAGF, denies salary payments
• Falana alleges police arrested suspect’s father in Ogbomoso
• Ogbomoso leaders disown Adeyemi, demand prosecution
• Resurfaced video revives questions over alleged ghost agency
• PFIPC signage remains at Federal Secretariat despite Presidency’s position
• Okurounmu urges Tinubu to sack Gbajabiamila over scandal

The controversy over the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) widened yesterday after the Office of the Accountant-General (OAGF) clarified its role, human rights lawyer Femi Falana alleged the arrest of the suspect’s father, and Ogbomoso leaders disowned the accused.

The OAGF said the disputed PFIPC never operated an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), contrary to claims surrounding the controversy.

The clarification followed an earlier statement by the Presidency in response to claims made by Adeniyi Adeyemi, in which it alleged that Adeyemi used fake documents to mislead the OAGF into opening a CBN account.

“The Police found that Adeyemi, using the fake documents he created, fraudulently opened a CBN account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. According to the police, no government money has been transferred into the account,” Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, had said in a statement that also cleared the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of any wrongdoing in the matter.

Giving its account of the issue, however, the OAGF said the council never completed the process required to operate a CBN account, making it impossible for any government allocation to be paid into it.

Director of Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, said the process to open the account began after the council’s convener, Adeniyi Adeyemi, presented “an appointment letter” linked to an existing government agency.

He, however, said the process stalled because the names of the authorised signatories were never submitted, preventing the account from becoming operational.

“The account has not seen the light of day. It has not received one kobo because it was never fully activated.

“The Accountant-General has not released any money because there is no operational account for such payment,” Mokwa said.

He added that although the council has a budgetary allocation, the inclusion of a provision in the Appropriation Act does not automatically result in the release of funds.

The OAGF also dismissed claims that salaries had been paid to the council’s staff.

Mokwa explained that federal agencies cannot recruit personnel or process salary payments without obtaining approvals from the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office and the Federal Civil Service Commission before employees are enrolled on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System.

“If an agency is granted a waiver to recruit, it must still obtain approvals from the relevant agencies before presenting staff details to the Accountant-General. Without those approvals, not even one employee can be captured on the payroll,” he said.

According to Mokwa, none of the statutory requirements has been fulfilled by the PFIPC.

He maintained that the council has neither an operational CBN account nor an approved payroll through which government funds or salaries could have been disbursed.

Falana alleges police arrested PFIPC suspect’s father in Ogbomoso

THIS came as human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, alleged that police officers arrested the father of Adeyemi Adeniyi, the self-acclaimed director-general of the purported PFIPC, in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

Falana disclosed the development during a telephone conversation with journalists, claiming that police operatives stormed the family’s residence and arrested Adeyemi’s father along with a family friend who was visiting the home.

“Police have now stormed the house of the parents of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, Plot 3, Adeniyi Dynasty, behind Technical College, Road Safety Area, Ogbomoso,” Falana said.

“The father has been arrested. There is no legal basis for substituted arrests. The young man has promised to show up in court, so why arrest his father?”

Residents in the neighbourhood also confirmed the incident.

One resident, who requested anonymity, said the officers arrived in four vehicles before taking Adeyemi’s father away.

“They came with four vehicles, and they started harassing them and eventually took the father away,” the resident said.

“They didn’t allow the neighbours to intervene before they took him away. At the moment, there is a man in blue clothes patrolling the area.”

Another resident alleged that Adeyemi’s father was arrested alongside a visitor, while his mother was left in shock.

The development comes amid the controversy surrounding the purported PFIPC, which the Presidency has described as a fictitious agency.

Adeyemi is facing charges bordering on alleged forgery, impersonation and related offences over his purported appointment as director-general of the council. The case is before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Falana has repeatedly argued that issues surrounding the alleged PFIPC should be resolved through due process, maintaining that only the courts have the constitutional authority to determine criminal liability.

Ogbomoso leaders disown Adeyemi over alleged fake agency scandal

MEANWHILE, prominent elders and community leaders in Ogbomoso have distanced themselves from Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.

In a statement issued after an emergency meeting and jointly signed by Chief Alao Adelabu Adeyinka and Prince Olatubosun Adeniyi, the leaders described Adeyemi as an impostor and maintained that he holds no recognised royal title in Ogbomoso.

Speaking under the aegis of the Ogbomoso Integrity Forum, the leaders condemned his alleged actions and called on the authorities to prosecute him in accordance with the law.

The forum also dismissed reports linking Adeyemi’s claimed royal status to Ogbomoso and denied claims that he had previously interacted with the town’s traditional rulers.

“We, the elders and custodians of Ogbomoso’s rich cultural heritage, unequivocally disown Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew in this shameful fake agency scandal that has brought unnecessary scrutiny to our peaceful community.

“For far too long, individuals like him have hidden behind unverified titles to perpetrate deceit, but we stand firm today to declare that he is not and has never been a recognised prince in any of the ruling houses of Ogbomoso.

“Our royal traditions are sacred and not for impostors to exploit for personal gain. His track record of fraud stretches back years, including previous scams involving fake international youth organisations where he duped unsuspecting Nigerians with promises of summits and appointments.

“We urge the federal authorities to thoroughly investigate all his past dealings and ensure justice is served without fear or favour. Ogbomoso remains a land of honest, God-fearing people committed to national development, and we will not allow one bad apple to tarnish our collective image,” the statement read.

The forum added: “We reject any association with him and his so-called princely status, which has no basis in our traditional chieftaincy system or royal lineages. Such false claims only serve to mock the genuine efforts of our kings and chiefs in promoting peace and progress.

“It is disheartening that someone from our soil would go to such lengths to deceive high government officials, diplomats, and even secure space in the Federal Secretariat with forged letters.

“We call on all indigenes at home and abroad to remain vigilant against fraudsters who drag our name through the mud.

“The current Soun of Ogbomoso and other traditional rulers have always emphasised ethical leadership, and we align fully with efforts to cleanse our community of such elements.”

Resurfaced video fuels controversy over alleged N1.3b ghost agency

A video of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the man at the centre of the alleged N1.3 billion “ghost agency” controversy, resurfaced online yesterday, adding a fresh dimension to the growing dispute over the purported government agency.

Also, the signage directing visitors to the office of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), also referred to as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), remained mounted at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja yesterday despite the Presidency’s position that the agency does not exist.

A visit to the Federal Secretariat showed that the directional sign was still displayed on the floor occupied by the Federal Ministry of Health, pointing visitors to the office.

The Federal Secretariat houses the offices of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and serves as the administrative hub of the Federal Civil Service.

The video, recorded during a press conference in late June 2026, showed Adeyemi defending his claim to the leadership of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council while challenging the position of the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

During the briefing, Adeyemi questioned how an agency the Presidency had described as non-existent could appear in official budget documents.

He said: “The national budget does not emerge in isolation. It passes through multiple layers of technical drafting, executive coordination, ministerial inputs, Budget Office review, and finally legislative scrutiny by both chambers of the National Assembly.”

He argued that the inclusion of the agency in official budget documents raised questions about the integrity of the budget process.

“The question becomes unavoidable: At what point in this process did references to a non-existent agency allegedly enter the official record? And if they are indeed present in official documentation, what does that imply about the integrity of the process that produced and approved those documents?” he asked.

Adeyemi also claimed that the agency maintained several accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“The same acclaimed non-existent agency has a domiciliary account, a pounds sterling account and a Treasury Single Account, all domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria. Is it even possible to open an account with fictitious documents in a commercial bank in Nigeria today, let alone the Central Bank of Nigeria?” he said.

He further alleged that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed N27.4 billion take-off grant, referring to an alleged request for N12.5 billion.

Sack Gbajabiamila to protect Yoruba Omoluabi ethos, Okurounmu urges Tinubu
REACTING, a former lawmaker who represented Ogun Central between 1999 and 2003, Senator Femi Okurounmu, has called on President Bola Tinubu to relieve his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of his appointment over the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council scandal.

Speaking with The Guardian, Okurounmu said removing the Chief of Staff would demonstrate the President’s commitment to fighting corruption and help preserve the Omoluabi values for which the Yoruba are known.

In Yoruba culture, an Omoluabi represents the ultimate ideal of a person of noble character, integrity, and good upbringing.

The elder statesman lamented that corruption had become deeply entrenched in Nigeria’s political system, arguing that it cuts across political parties and has been normalised to the extent that public officials are rarely held accountable.

According to him, “Corruption is endemic in Nigeria’s body politic. It has been normalised to such an extent that people no longer expect public officials to be free from it. Billions of naira can be stolen, people shout for a few days, and nothing happens.”

Okurounmu maintained that the culture of impunity had eroded public confidence in political institutions, including the National Assembly and the executive arm of government.

He alleged that many politicians emerged from a system already tainted by corruption, insisting that the problem is pervasive across the political class.

“The National Assembly, ministers and politicians generally are products of a system that has become deeply rooted in corruption. That is why nothing surprises me anymore,” he said.

While noting that he wanted Tinubu’s administration to succeed, particularly as a Yoruba leader, Okurounmu said he had consistently urged the President to make the fight against corruption the defining priority of his administration.

Expressing doubts over calls for an internal investigation into the allegations against Gbajabiamila, the former lawmaker questioned whether the government could impartially investigate senior officials within its own ranks.

He argued: “I am skeptical that such an investigation will achieve anything positive. Nigerians need to be convinced that the government has truly turned a new leaf by taking decisive action against anyone found culpable, regardless of status,” he said.

Okurounmu stressed that the President’s response to the allegations would send a strong signal about his commitment to transparency and good governance.

According to him, “If President Tinubu begins to fight corruption seriously, that is what will make us proud as Yoruba people. We cannot support corruption simply because the person involved is one of our own. It is a stain on the Yoruba nation and it must be addressed,” he added. (Guardian)