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The Presidency has accused Adeniyi Matthew, who claims to be the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), of using corruption allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to divert attention from the criminal case against him.
In a statement on Friday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, alleged that Matthew was using public perception of corruption to shield himself from accountability.
In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption. Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues.… pic.twitter.com/aYXeA07CLO
— Temitope Ajayi (@TheTope_Ajayi) July 3, 2026
Ajayi said corruption accusations are among the easiest allegations to make against public officials in Nigeria because they quickly shift public attention away from the underlying issues.
He described Matthew as a “con artist” who was attempting to drag Gbajabiamila into what he called a criminal enterprise, adding that the Chief of Staff had become Matthew’s “last straw” in his efforts to evade responsibility.
“In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption. Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues.
“Matthew Adeniyi understands Nigerian public psychology and he is exploiting it expertly to shield himself. He is an irredeemable con artist who is attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his criminal enterprise. The Chief of Staff is simply his last straw,” he said.
The presidential aide acknowledged concerns that the alleged scheme exposed weaknesses within government institutions but argued that the same system ultimately uncovered the fraud.
According to him, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detected irregularities after noticing that the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was carrying out activities inconsistent with its claims and lodged complaints with the relevant authorities.
Ajayi said the subsequent intervention demonstrated that existing government mechanisms were capable of identifying and responding to such anomalies.
“Many commentators have rightly pointed to the systemic failure that allowed such an elaborate fraudulent scheme to flourish.
“Daredevil criminals who operate around government institutions with the sole aim of pulling off spectacular heists are common across the world. Some succeed, many fail. The part many commentators have overlooked, however, is how that same system eventually detected the fraud and fished him out.
“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively.
“First, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the statutory agency responsible for investment promotion, together with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, identified the anomaly and lodged complaints with the appropriate authorities for clarification.
“That is a system functioning as it should. It is a system capable of detecting an aberration,” he added.
He, however, maintained that internal collaborators played a role in enabling Matthew’s activities, stressing that investigators from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must identify everyone involved.
He added that the alleged criminal network within the affected institutions should be dismantled and all those found to have participated prosecuted in accordance with the law.
“What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel.
“The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
Friday’s statement marks the Presidency’s third public response to the controversy.
On June 11, 2026, Gbajabiamila issued a disclaimer stating that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council had no official recognition and that no appointments had been made under its name.
On July 1, Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga disclosed that Matthew had been arraigned before the High Court in November 2025 on eight criminal charges. He also alleged that investigators discovered 34 bank accounts linked to fictitious agencies and accused Matthew of fraudulently opening a Central Bank account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has, however, argued that only the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has the authority to determine the facts of the case, calling for an independent investigation involving both Matthew and Gbajabiamila.
Falana also questioned reports that ₦24 billion had allegedly been budgeted for the purported agency and sought an explanation for how it was able to open an account with the Central Bank.
Matthew is expected to appear before the High Court in Abuja on July 27 alongside two co-defendants who remain at large.
