The controversial Director-General of the disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has denied preparing the council’s budget that was included in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Speaking with social media influencer and activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, Mr Adeyemi said he was in police detention during the period the budget was being processed.
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He insisted that neither he nor anyone acting on his behalf participated in the budget preparation or defence process.
PFIPC in the 2026 Budget
A review of the 2026 Appropriation Act indicates that the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC)/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is expressly listed under the presidency, with a N1.3 billion budget allocation.
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The allocation includes N800 million for personnel costs and N200 million for capital projects.
The presidency had said the PFIPC is not a recognised government agency and that Mr Adeyemi forged documents to present himself as an appointee and head of the agency. The PEAC was established by former President Muhammadu Buhari and included prominent Nigerian economists. The council has ceased to exist since President Bola Tinubu assumed office.
Mr Adeyemi was charged in court in November 2025, facing an eight-count charge bordering on forgery and impersonation.
However, the inclusion of the agency that the government says doesn’t exist in the budget has added to controversy trailing how such an agency permeated the topmost hierarchy of the Nigerian government.
Mr Adeyemi speaks
According to Mr Adeyemi, he was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force’s Monitoring Unit on 27 October 2025 following a petition questioning the agency’s activities. He said he remained in detention for 23 days before being released on 19 November.
When Mr Otse asked if he had prepared the agency’s budget, Mr Adeyemi said: “No, sir. I’m not the one because when the preparations for the budget started, I was invited by the Nigeria Police Force, Department of Monitoring Unit.”
He said his detention made it impossible for him to participate in the budget process.
“I did not, and nobody went for the defence. That is why I’m confused that, how come that the budget that nobody defended it could still find its way to the national budget,” he said.
Mr Adeyemi added that by the time he was released from detention, he had been arraigned in court and had not been to the office since then.
“That is why I’m confused, how did the agency find its way into the national budget?” he said.
How prosecution stalled
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Adeyemi’s trial, which first came up for arraignment on 3 February, has stalled due to a series of adjournments arising from defence requests, court scheduling issues, and claims of ill health.
On 3 February, Mr Adeyemi’s lawyers told the court they needed more time, saying they had only been served with the charges.
Although the prosecutors protested, saying the charges had been served two weeks earlier, the judge granted the defence’s request for more time. The court adjourned the matter until 11 February.
However, the case could not proceed on the adjourned date because Justice Umar was away attending a judicial workshop, and the court did not sit.
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Both parties subsequently took a fresh date before the court registrar, with the matter rescheduled for 14 April.
When the case was called on 14 April, Mr Adeyemi was absent from court.
His lawyer presented a letter informing the court that the defendant was unwell and, therefore, unable to attend the proceedings.
Although the prosecutor opposed another adjournment, the court deferred the matter until 16 June due to the defendant’s absence.
Mr Adeyemi appeared in court with his counsel on the new date, and the prosecution again informed the court that it was ready to proceed with the arraignment.
However, the defence sought another adjournment after informing the court that counsel was ill and unable to proceed with the case.
The court granted the application and adjourned the matter to 14 July.
On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu asked the ICPC to investigate the scandal and submit a report to him in 30 days.
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