Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew walked into Phase III Section of the Federal Secretariat in Abuja with a forged letter and emerged with an office, signage, and a semblance of government legitimacy. He allegedly gamed the system by exploiting three weaknesses: budget, appointment, and banking.

When Adeyemi allegedly walked into Phase III Section with a forged letter, it marked the beginning of a scandal that would expose deep-seated problems within Nigeria's government. Adeyemi's alleged audacity was not isolated; he had accomplices within the system.

The Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council saga is a shocking example of how a non-existent agency can secure over ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 budget, office space in the heart of Abuja, and even host top government officials from Nigeria and abroad. This raises serious questions about government accountability and the lack of due diligence in budgeting.

According to sources in the National Assembly, the ₦1.3 billion allocation for PFIPC entered the budget through a 'backdoor arrangement' without any budget defence. Adeyemi claimed to have been detained for 23 days while the budget was being prepared, yet he said nobody went to defend the budget on his behalf.

This scandal highlights a long-standing problem with Nigeria's budget process, which has been criticized for 'insertions' and 'undue inflation.' The fact that a ghost agency like PFIPC could secure real money in the 2026 budget is a clear indication that the system failed at multiple points. Budget Office, House of Representatives, and Senate all missed this, our first line of fiscal defense needs a long, hard look.

Apart from budget issues, the scandal also raises questions about appointment and office verification. Adeyemi allegedly used a forged appointment letter bearing Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila's signature and counterfeit presidential letterhead to present himself as the Director-General of PFIPC. This letter was accepted at the civil service headquarters without adequate verification, securing him an office in the Federal Secretariat for over a year.

The third system failure in the PFIPC scandal is about banking and due diligence. Adeyemi allegedly opened an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria for the non-existent agency. He asked the most damning question in a viral video: '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 at the CBN?'

The EFCC has recovered items and made arrests, but the institutions that enabled the financial plumbing have not been named. However, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila has denied any involvement, with his lawyers slamming a ₦10 billion suit on Adeyemi. Adeyemi himself admitted in the VDM interview that he has never met Gbajabiamila.

This scandal has far-reaching implications for Nigeria's government and its citizens. It highlights a lack of accountability, inadequate due diligence, and a system that is vulnerable to manipulation.

'The PFIPC scandal is a clear indication that our budget process has failed us. It's a wake-up call for us to strengthen our internal controls and ensure that our public finances are managed prudently.'

₦1.3 billion: the amount allocated to the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) in the 2026 budget.