An investigation is underway in Nigeria regarding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an entity that operated for months despite having no legal standing. Led by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the organization successfully secured office space within the Federal Secretariat and was allocated over N1 billion in the 2026 national budget. The council was created using falsified documents, including a forged signature attributed to Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila.
Government records reveal that multiple high-level offices, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Adviser, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, were aware of irregularities as early as November 2025. Despite this internal knowledge, no public disclosure was issued for seven months, allowing the fraudulent agency to remain integrated into the federal budget. The Budget Office of the Federation claims it only processed the council based on submitted documentation, maintaining that no actual funds were disbursed to the fake agency.
A House of Representatives ad-hoc committee has launched a probe to determine how the entity bypassed standard vetting processes. While officials from various ministries and agencies have testified, most have focused on defending their own procedural compliance rather than acknowledging oversight failures. As the investigation continues, authorities are still working to identify the specific individuals responsible for enabling the fraud, leaving the underlying systemic vulnerabilities largely unaddressed.
