The Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeyemi Adeniyi, has claimed that he borrowed ₦400 million to secure his appointment in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, while renewing allegations that the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, demanded and received the money through an intermediary.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Adeyemi insisted that the funds were obtained through loans, adding that he has yet to repay the money.
According to him, those who provided the funds have already reported the matter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“I borrowed the ₦400 million to pay for the appointment, and I am still indebted to those who gave me the money,” he said.
Adeyemi also dismissed allegations that he falsely presented himself as a United Nations ambassador, describing the claims as a calculated smear campaign aimed at discrediting him.
The controversy stems from earlier allegations in which Adeyemi accused Gbajabiamila of receiving ₦400 million through a proxy to facilitate his appointment and subsequently demanding an additional ₦200 million before the agency could become fully operational.
The Presidency has rejected the allegations, maintaining that Adeyemi heads a non-existent agency.
However, reports indicate that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council received allocations in the federal budget and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
Amid growing public attention, President Bola Tinubu last week directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the bribery and forgery allegations involving the PFIPC and all individuals named in the claims.
The allegations against Gbajabiamila remain under investigation, and no official findings have been released by the anti-corruption agency.
Both the Presidency and the Chief of Staff have continued to deny any wrongdoing.
