By Gloria Drealomalicha
A video of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the man at the centre of the alleged ₦1.3 billion “ghost agency” scandal, has resurfaced online, reigniting public debate as investigations and legal proceedings surrounding the controversy continue.
The footage, recorded during a press conference in late June 2026, shows Adeyemi defending his claim to the leadership of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council while disputing 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 has described as non-existent could have appeared in official budget documents.
According to him, the preparation of Nigeria’s national budget involves several stages, including technical drafting, executive coordination, ministerial contributions, Budget Office reviews and legislative approval by both chambers of the National Assembly.
He argued that if the council was never established, its inclusion in official budget records raises serious 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 council operated several accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, including a domiciliary account, a pounds sterling account and a Treasury Single Account.
He questioned whether such accounts could have been opened without legitimate documentation, saying it would be difficult for even a commercial bank to approve accounts based on fictitious records.
The businessman further alleged that the Chief of Staff to the President demanded 48 per cent of the council’s proposed ₦27.4 billion take-off grant, amounting to about ₦12.5 billion.
However, the Office of the Chief of Staff has firmly denied the allegation and maintained that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has no legal existence and was never created by the Federal Government.
According to the Presidency, Adeyemi allegedly forged official documents, including appointment letters bearing the names and signatures of senior government officials, to present himself as the Director-General of the purported council.
Authorities further alleged that he operated from an office within Phase III of the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, where he reportedly held meetings with government officials, diplomats, foreign investors and members of the public while presenting himself as a senior government official.
The controversy intensified after reports revealed that an entity listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council received more than ₦1.3 billion in budgetary allocations. The disclosure sparked widespread public scrutiny over how a body now described by the Presidency as fictitious appeared in the federal budget.
The reported allocation included approximately ₦803 million for personnel costs, ₦200 million for overhead expenses and ₦300 million for capital expenditure.
Adeyemi is currently facing an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja bordering on forgery, impersonation, false personation and operating a fictitious government agency.
While the Presidency has urged the public to disregard Adeyemi’s claims, insisting the matter is now before the court, he continues to maintain that he is not an impostor and says the judicial process will ultimately determine the legitimacy of his claims.
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