The self-styled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, has explained how the controversial agency appeared in the Federal Government’s 2026 budget despite his arrest before the appropriation process ended.
Adeniyi made the claims during an interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a video released shortly after his arrest.
Adeniyi denies Gbajabiamila influenced budget allocation
According to Adeniyi, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, played no role in securing the N1.3 billion budgetary allocation for the proposed agency. Instead, he said he personally approached senior officials of the Budget Office to seek the agency’s inclusion in the federal budget.
He explained that officials did not complete the process before his arrest. As a result, he was surprised when the agency later appeared in the appropriation.
He said:
“I went to that Budget Office for the 2025 budget. I submitted the letter and everything that I wanted, but I was told it was already late.”
He added:
“When the 2025 budget came out and I didn’t see it, they told me it would now be for the 2026 budget. We kept in touch because they said it would be considered later.”
Budget officials allegedly considered proposal
Adeniyi alleged that a female official helped him gain access to the office of the Director-General of the Budget Office before referring him to another senior director.
According to him, the director explained that officials could no longer accommodate the proposal in the 2025 budget. However, he assured him that they would consider it during the preparation of the 2026 appropriation.
He said:
“They were trying for me that maybe they would include it, but unfortunately they said it could not be included in the 2025 budget. They said it would be for 2026.”
‘I did not pay anybody’
Addressing allegations that he bribed Budget Office officials, Adeniyi insisted that he did not give money to anyone. Instead, he admitted promising employment opportunities if the proposed agency eventually became operational.
He said:
“Honestly, I did not pay any money. I didn’t pay anybody. The only thing I promised was that if I started employing people, I could help them with employment opportunities.”
He added:
“That was the favour I promised them. I did not give anybody money. It was just a promise that if they had people, I could employ them later.”
Arrest ended every discussion
Adeniyi said his legal troubles brought every discussion about the proposed agency to an end. He added that he instructed those assisting him to discontinue the process after his arrest.
“Immediately, there was a problem, everything stopped. Even the woman that wanted to help was calling because she couldn’t reach me. I told her to let everything stop.”
He continued:
“I didn’t even know until they said it was inside the budget. I had already left the office. Where would I still pursue the budget when I was already facing court?”
When asked whether officials inserted the agency into the budget after his arrest, Adeniyi said he could not explain how it happened.
“I don’t know because once that problem started, everything stopped. Why would I still pursue the budget when I was already in trouble?”
Adeniyi speaks on alleged N400m payment
Adeniyi also responded to allegations that he paid N400 million to facilitate his appointment. He claimed he sent the money in United States dollars through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola, although he said he could not confirm whether the funds eventually reached Gbajabiamila.
Despite making that claim, Adeniyi maintained that he never met the President’s Chief of Staff before or after his appointment. According to him, Tanimola handled every aspect of the process on his behalf.
He said:
“I never met Gbajabiamila physically before and after he was appointed. Dolapo Tanimola handled everything for me.”
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