‘Fake’ Agency: I Was In Detention When PFIPC Budget Was Prepared — Adeyemi

Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has questioned how the agency was captured in the national budget despite the Presidency’s insistence that it does not exist.

Adeyemi raised the concern during an interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.

He said he was in police detention while the national budget was being prepared, insisting he neither participated in nor authorised any budget defence for the agency before the National Assembly.

According to Adeyemi, he honoured an invitation from the Nigeria Police Force on October 27 following a petition allegedly submitted by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, over the activities of the PFIPC.

He said investigators questioned him about the agency, his appointment letter and the individuals who facilitated his appointment.

Adeyemi disclosed that he remained in detention for 23 days, from October 27 to November 19, before he was arraigned in court on November 27.

He added that by the time he regained his freedom, the office previously allocated to the PFIPC had already been reassigned to another government official, and he has not returned to the office since his arrest.

The self-acclaimed PFIPC boss maintained that it remains unclear how the agency was included in the national budget despite the fact that, according to him, no one defended its allocation before lawmakers.

He questioned how the National Assembly and other relevant authorities failed to identify what the Presidency now describes as a non-existent agency before the budget was approved and signed into law.

While reacting to Gbajabiamila’s position that the PFIPC never existed, Adeyemi said he was not accusing the Chief of Staff of lying but insisted that only an independent investigation could establish the truth.

He renewed his call on President Bola Tinubu to constitute an investigative panel to determine how the agency emerged and identify those responsible.

Adeyemi also said he was ready to submit all documents in his possession to the police or the Department of State Services (DSS) to assist investigators in verifying their authenticity.

He further alleged that he survived an attack by gunmen near Zuma Rock, close to Madala, in September last year.

He said: “You see this whole thing is confusing, as in very confusing. When the presidency, through the chief of staff, said the agency does not exist, I wondered.

“How come the agency found its way to the national budget, that both the Senate, where we have so many experienced senators, 360 members of representatives, would detect that this is a fake agency, then transmitted to the president to sign.

“How come the chief of staff is not aware that the said agency is inside the budget? So that’s why I’m confused, and that gave me the audacity to come out to do a rebuttal of his disclaimer, like two weeks ago.

“I’m not the one. During the preparation for budget, I was invited by the Nigerian Police Force. I was invited to come and respond to a petition from the Chief of Staff to the President, questioning my activity of the said agency.

“I honored the invitation. So they asked me so many questions. How did the agency come to force. I gave them the appointment letter. Then they asked me who helped you to get the appointment letter. I gave them the number, the name, everything.

“I was in detention for good 23 days. I was arrested or invited on 27th of October and released on 19th of November.

“I was in detention during the period for the preparation of budget.

“I did not defend the budget, and nobody went for the defence. That’s why I am confused that how come the budget that nobody defended it still find its way into the national budget.

“By the time I came out from the detention, on 19 November, I was charged to court on 27th of November, and the said office space has been reallocated to another government officials. So I’ve not been going to office since that 27th of October. So that’s why I’m confused: how does the agency find its way to the national budget?

“I wouldn’t say he (Gbajabiamila) is lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s saying the truth. That’s why I requested, if you see from my press conference, I said I plead with Mr President to set up an investigative panel to look into this whole issue and unravel the truth, so we know who are involved.”