By Editor
Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-proclaimed Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), has claimed that the ₦400 million he allegedly paid to secure his appointment was borrowed, revealing that those who provided the funds have now petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover their money.
Speaking on Channels Television's Politics Today on Monday, Adeyemi said he took the loan specifically to obtain the appointment and is now under pressure from the lenders.
"I borrowed this money. In fact, those that I borrowed this money from have reported to the EFCC. They have written to the EFCC asking me to refund their money. I borrowed this money to pay for this appointment," he said.
Adeyemi described the government's handling of the matter as unfair, alleging that he had been publicly humiliated by certain individuals within the administration.
He also dismissed reports suggesting that a United States lobbying firm was helping him seek asylum, saying he only became aware of such claims through media reports.
According to him, his ability to follow developments surrounding the controversy has been limited after his social media accounts were allegedly taken down.
"I just ignore it because they sponsored a lot of people to bring my social media handle down. I don't really know much about what is going on again. I only hear from family and friends," he stated.
Adeyemi further denied reports that he was planning to flee Nigeria, insisting that he remains in the country.
The PFIPC controversy became public on June 11 after the Presidency, through the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, issued a statement declaring that no such agency exists under the Tinubu administration and describing Adeyemi as an impostor.
In a subsequent statement released on July 1, the Presidency said police investigations indicated that Adeyemi allegedly forged a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by Gbajabiamila, operated a non-existent government agency and maintained 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious government institutions.
According to the Presidency, concerns about the council first emerged in October 2025 after the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission reported that another organisation claiming government status was carrying out overlapping functions.
Despite the official position, Adeyemi has maintained that his appointment was legitimate. He argued that he openly operated for nearly three years, interacted with several ministries, departments and agencies, and hosted delegations from institutions including the EFCC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also alleged that Gbajabiamila received ₦400 million through an intermediary to facilitate his appointment, later demanded an additional ₦200 million and sought 48 per cent of a purported ₦27.4 billion take-off grant for the council. Gbajabiamila's legal team has denied the allegations, describing them as false and threatening a ₦10 billion defamation suit.
However, in a separate interview with social media personality Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, Adeyemi admitted that he had never met Gbajabiamila in person and could not confirm the identity of the individual he claimed to have spoken with over the phone.
The controversy intensified after the PFIPC appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of more than ₦1.3 billion, raising questions about how an agency described by the Presidency as fictitious was included in the national budget.
President Bola Tinubu has since directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter and submit its findings within 30 days.