Tanimola is a Yoruba expression loosely translated as “Who knows tomorrow?”
And because no one knows tomorrow, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola probably never imagined that, months after his death, his name would become central to a controversy that has dominated national discourse.
Until this week, Tanimola was largely unknown outside a small circle of associates.
But that changed after the Presidency identified him as the man Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi allegedly told police investigators helped him procure the disputed appointment letter at the centre of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council saga.
The Presidency has described the council as fictitious and accused Adeyemi of impersonation and forgery, allegations he has denied.
Adeyemi has insisted that he was lawfully appointed and has said he is prepared to defend himself before the court.
However, the Presidency’s disclosure has shifted public attention to Tanimola, whose death has placed one of the most critical links in the case beyond the reach of investigators.
A collection of photographs obtained by Daily Trust showed Tanimola in the company of several prominent Nigerian political leaders, public officials and business figures before his death.
Among those pictured with him were former President Goodluck Jonathan; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.); businessmen Tony Elumelu and Abdulsamad Rabiu; and three former Inspectors-General of Police, Mike Okiro, Solomon Arase and Kayode Egbetokun.
Other photographs reportedly showed him with businessman and philanthropist Arthur Eze; Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat; and the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Kwankwaso, among others.
The photographs, taken at different events, appeared to show a man who had access to some of Nigeria’s political, security and business elite.
However, the images do not establish any wrongdoing or suggest that the personalities photographed with Tanimola had knowledge of the activities now under investigation.
They have, nevertheless, intensified public curiosity about his background, occupation and the nature of his connections.
The renewed interest followed a detailed statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, responding to allegations made by Adeyemi.
Adeyemi had presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency the Presidency insists does not exist.
The Presidency described Adeyemi as an impostor who allegedly forged his appointment letter and impersonated a government official.
He is facing an eight-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and the use of purportedly forged government documents.
Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and maintained that the courts should determine the truth of the allegations.
According to the Presidency, Adeyemi allegedly told police investigators during interrogation following his arrest in October 2025 that Tanimola helped him procure the appointment letter he relied upon to present himself as Director-General of the disputed council.
That claim placed Tanimola at a potentially critical point in the investigation.
But investigators never had the opportunity to question him.
According to the Presidency, police efforts to trace Tanimola revealed that he had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025.
The incident reportedly occurred five days before Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27.
The Presidency said investigators verified Tanimola’s death through visits to the hospital where his body was deposited, interviews with his relatives and the hotel proprietor, as well as records connected with his burial.
Sources told Daily Trust that Tanimola was buried following a funeral service at Saint Matthew Anglican Church, Maitama, Abuja, on November 8, 2025.
