A video of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the man at the centre of the alleged ₦1.3 billion “ghost agency” scandal, has resurfaced online as controversy over the purported government body continues to grow. The footage, recorded during a press conference in late June 2026, shows Adeyemi defending his claim as head of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council while disputing the Presidency’s position and that of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, led by Femi Gbajabiamila.
During the briefing, Adeyemi questioned how an agency the Presidency described as non-existent could appear in official budget documents. He argued that the federal budget passes through several stages of drafting, executive review and legislative approval, raising concerns over how references to the alleged agency made their way into the approved documents. Adeyemi also claimed the agency operated domiciliary, pounds sterling and Treasury Single Account (TSA) accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, questioning whether such accounts could be opened using fictitious documentation.
He further alleged that Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed ₦27.4 billion take-off grant, including an alleged request for ₦12.5 billion. The Presidency has consistently denied the allegations, insisting that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council has no legal backing and was never established by the Federal Government. According to government officials, Adeyemi forged official documents, including appointment letters bearing the names and signatures of senior officials, to present himself as the council’s Director-General.
Authorities also alleged that he operated from an office in Phase III of the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, where he reportedly met with government officials, diplomats, foreign investors and members of the public while posing 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 budget allocations, prompting public scrutiny over how a body now described as fictitious appeared in the federal budget.
The reported allocation included about ₦803 million for personnel, ₦200 million for overhead costs and ₦300 million for capital expenditure.Adeyemi is currently facing an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of forgery, impersonation, false personation and operating a fictitious government agency. While the Presidency has urged the public to disregard his claims, citing the ongoing court proceedings, Adeyemi maintains that he is not an impostor and insists the court will determine the matter.
Source: https://punchng.com/
