Fresh details have emerged on how the alleged fraud involving the disowned Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, penetrated key levels of the Nigerian Civil Service (NCS).
According to Premium Times, a review of documents linked to the case showed that some civil servants and agencies allegedly processed letters that helped Adeyemi secure a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account, budget code, office space at the Federal Secretariat, staff deployment, and other privileges usually reserved for legitimate government agencies.
Although the letters were listed as exhibits in the Federal Government’s case against Adeyemi, a police investigation report showed that officials who allegedly approved, processed or signed the documents had not been interrogated.
The development has raised questions over the competence, diligence and judgment of senior civil servants involved in handling requests from the disputed PFIPC.
Premium Times, stated that the authenticity of the letters could not be independently verified. However, stated that questioning the officials could help determine whether the letters were forged or genuine and why they were issued.
A former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Joe Abah, said the controversy had exposed serious lapses in official processes.
“Anyhow you look at it, questions are begging for answers. And whatever the answers will be, they will not be good,” Abah said.
According to Premium Times, here is the list of govt agencies and individuals linked to the controversial presidential agency
Documents reviewed by Premium Times revealed that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) uncovered Mr Adeyemi’s alleged fraud in November 2025.
In October 2025, Mr Gbajabiamila wrote to the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), urging them to investigate Mr Adeyemi, while accusing him of forgery.
On 27 October 2025, he wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to disclaim Mr Adeyemi and his agency after the ministry sought clarification.
On 5 November, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, also wrote to the SGF to disclaim the man and the agency, saying the presidency did not set up the agency or appoint anyone to run it.
But none of them issued a public disclaimer about it until more than six months later, in June 2026, thereby allowing Mr Adeyemi to continue his deceitful activities.
The simple question remains, why? Why did the government keep quiet instead of warning potential victims of Mr Adeyemi’s activities?
Adeyemi claims that Mr Gbajabiamila issued his letter of appointment.
The police say the letter is fake, and the Chief of Staff has denied issuing it.
In addition, Gbajabiamila was the first official to disown Adeyemi and wrote to the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the State Security Services (SSS), accusing him of forgery.
But the police also said in their investigation report that they have yet to question Mr Gbajabiamila or compare his actual signature with the ones on the alleged forged letter.
The police investigation report said, “It is pertinent to note that the statement of the complainant (Mr Gbajabiamila) or his representative from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President is yet to be recorded.
“Similarly, specimen signatures are yet to be obtained for forensic comparison and analysis.”
A presidency official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to discuss the matter with the media, said the police needed to explain why they did not interview Mr Gbajabiamila despite Mr Adeyemi’s claim that he signed the appointment letter issued to him.
“I am sure the Chief of Staff would have been glad to answer their questions on the matter,” the official said.
But when contacted by Premium Times, Olanrewaju Smart, a longtime aide of Mr Gbajabiamila, stoutly defended his boss, saying, “How can the whistleblower who got him (Mr Adeyemi) arrested and also issued a public disclaimer be the same person who collected money from him? Shouldn’t he be doing everything to protect the guy? If he exposes the guy, is he not exposing himself? It’s just common sense.
“The so-called appointment letter is clearly forged on its face value, apart from the fact that the Chief of Staff (COS) does not and has never issued anyone a letter of appointment. That is the exclusive mandate of the SGF. Even the COS’s letter of appointment came from the SGF. Interestingly, he (Mr Adeyemi) is claiming that the only link between him and the COS died in a fire accident in a hotel. Stranger than fiction!
“The guy’s history of fraud speaks volumes. The guy successfully visited and took pictures with many influential people in Nigeria, but no picture with the person he is accusing. That’s really strange.
