For years, one man spearheaded a Nigerian government agency that didn't exist

On paper, the Nigerian Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) looked every bit like an official government agency.

It had funding, an office inside the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, which houses many government ministries, and a website bearing the government's stamp of authenticity. Few reasons existed to question its legitimacy.

The revelation has triggered wider scrutiny of government institutions, with a second organisation, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office (NBDMNSPO), now also under investigation.

For years, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew walked Nigeria's government halls as the "Director-General" of the PFIPC.

The role of the agency was purportedly to attract foreign investment, aid and partnerships into Africa's most populous country.

It had what looked like a legitimate website, maintained a social media presence, and even won approval to hire more than 300 staff.

Adeyemi even met with government officials, including cabinet ministers, financial regulators, the head of Nigeria's anti-corruption agency and foreign diplomats.

Well, in 2025, officials from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council wrote to the presidency to complain about Adeyemi's activities, noting that his agency appeared to function at "cross-purposes" with it.

Then a few months later, Femi Gbajabiamila, the president's chief of staff, wrote to police alleging that his signature, along with official seals and reference numbers, had been forged by Adeyemi.

"The fake documents, bearing falsified signatures, reference/folio numbers, and seals, have been used to claim leadership appointments to non-existent entities, with particular reference to the PFIPC," Gbajabiamila wrote.

Local reports said Adeyemi claimed he was given the PFIPC director-general appointment letter by Gbajabiamila, who has denied knowing him.

"Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi's claim against the chief of staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker," the presidency said in a statement defending Gbajabiamila.

In a July 1, 2026 statement , the Nigerian presidency also claimed Adeyemi misled the country's accountant-general's office into opening 34 bank accounts for the PFIPC, including with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

When the 2026 national budget was signed into law, the PFIPC was included with an allocation of 1.3 billion naira ($1.3 million).