The embattled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, has claimed he personally lobbied officials at the Budget Office to secure the inclusion of the controversial agency in the 2026 Federal Government budget.
Adeniyi made the claims during an interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in an Instagram video released on Sunday following his arrest.
The alleged fake agency was controversially allocated about ₦1.3bn in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite ongoing investigations into its authenticity. During the interview, Adeniyi absolved the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of responsibility for the allocation, insisting he never met him physically.
According to him, he first approached the Budget Office in December 2024 seeking the agency’s inclusion in the 2025 budget but was told the appropriation process had already closed. “I went to that Budget Office for the 2025 budget. I submitted the letter and everything that I wanted, but I was told it was already late,” he said.
He claimed officials later advised that the proposal would instead be considered for 2026. “When the 2025 budget came out and I didn’t see this budget, those people that I went to then said it would now be for the 2026 budget,” he added.
Adeniyi further alleged that a female official facilitated his access to the Director-General of the Budget Office, who later referred him to another senior official. “She helped me to see the oga. Oga now said, ‘Where is my shini?’ I said I don’t have any shini. He later asked me to meet one director,” he claimed.
Asked whether he paid any official to facilitate the process, Adeniyi denied offering money, saying he only promised employment opportunities. “I did not give anybody money. It was just a promise that if they had people, I could employ them,” he said.
He claimed his arrest brought the process to a halt and that he was surprised to later learn the agency had appeared in the 2026 budget. “I didn’t even know until they said it was inside the budget. I had already left the office,” he said, adding that he could not explain how the allocation was made after his arrest.
Adeniyi also addressed allegations that he paid ₦400m to secure his purported appointment, claiming the money was delivered in United States dollars through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola, who he said received the funds and handled all dealings on his behalf. He maintained he never met Gbajabiamila physically, either before or after his appointment.
In the caption accompanying the interview, VeryDarkMan called for a comprehensive investigation into the Budget Office and other government institutions, arguing that Adeniyi should not be the only person held accountable if his allegations prove true.
PUNCH Online reports that the allegations made by Adeniyi have not been independently verified, and the officials and institutions mentioned have not publicly responded to the claims.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that Adeniyi allegedly operated the fictitious agency using forged government documents from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, relying on an appointment letter falsely attributed to the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. He was subsequently arrested and charged with forgery and impersonation. The Presidency has consistently described him as an impostor and distanced the Federal Government from the alleged organisation.
Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu
