The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has taken a new dimension following the emergence of two purported official letters from the National Assembly addressed to the council’s Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
The documents, which have not been independently authenticated, appear to suggest that the Senate and the House of Representatives engaged in official correspondence with the agency, despite the Presidency’s insistence that it was not a legally established government body.
One of the letters, reportedly dated September 2, 2025, and issued by the Senate, invited the PFIPC Director-General to nominate participants for a high-level study exchange programme on anti-corruption policy and institutional reforms in London, United Kingdom.
A second letter, dated September 3, 2025, and purportedly issued by the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, invited the agency to participate in an executive exchange programme in Casablanca, Morocco.
According to the letter, the programme was aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s federal and state capacities in treaty negotiation, domestication and compliance.
The emergence of the documents comes amid an escalating dispute over the existence and operations of the PFIPC.
The Presidency has maintained that Prince Adeniyi unlawfully created the agency, appointed himself Director-General, secured office space at the Federal Secretariat, opened a Treasury Single Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and allegedly obtained a budgetary allocation of ₦1.302 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The controversy has been further heightened by videos circulating online showing Adeyemi attending official events, meeting with senior government officials and foreign diplomats, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and representing Nigeria at international conferences.
The dispute intensified after the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, on June 11, 2026, issued a statement distancing his office from both the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
However, Adeyemi has denied acting without official backing, insisting that all his activities, including his appointment, were known to the Chief of Staff.
He further alleged that his relationship with Gbajabiamila deteriorated after he refused an alleged demand for 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed ₦27 billion take-off grant.
Adeyemi also claimed that about ₦400 million had been paid through intermediaries to facilitate his appointment, with an outstanding balance of ₦200 million yet to be paid.
He has called for an investigation into the death of Babatunde Tanimola, whom he identified as an intermediary in his dealings with the Chief of Staff. According to Adeyemi, Tanimola died in a fire incident at a hotel in Utako, Abuja, shortly after a petition involving the matter was reportedly submitted to the police.
The unfolding controversy has raised fresh questions over how the agency allegedly secured office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat, opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, recruited hundreds of workers and obtained a budgetary allocation if it lacked legal recognition.
As of the time of filing this report, the National Assembly had not commented on the purported letters, while the Presidency has continued to deny allegations of wrongdoing and has maintained that the PFIPC is not a recognised federal government agency.
The authenticity of the letters and the allegations made by all parties have not been independently verified. Investigations into the matter are ongoing.
