The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, took a new twist on Wednesday as its embattled self-acclaimed Director General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, challenged the Federal Government’s claim that the body was non-existent, asking how it found its way into the national budget if it was indeed fake.
Adeyemi, who spoke during an Instagram interview with social media commentator VeryDarkMan, said he was prepared to cooperate fully with the investigation ordered by President Bola Tinubu and would submit all relevant documents in his possession to security agencies.
According to him, the documents should be thoroughly scrutinised to establish how the council became linked to official government processes and budgetary allocations.
“When the Presidency, through the Chief of Staff, said the agency does not exist, I wondered how an agency that found its way into the national budget could suddenly be described as fake,” Adeyemi said.
He further disclosed that he was in detention for 23 days during the period the budget was being prepared, insisting that he neither prepared nor defended any budget proposal on behalf of the council.
“I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf. That is why I am confused about how the agency found its way into the national budget,” he added.
Adeyemi also welcomed President Tinubu’s directive to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to investigate the matter, saying an independent probe would reveal those responsible.
On allegations involving Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to Tinubu, Adeniyi refrained from making direct accusations, stating that only a transparent investigation could establish the facts.
The Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC was never created by the Federal Government and lacks legal backing, presidential approval and any valid instrument of establishment.
Recall that President Tinubu has consequently directed the ICPC to investigate alleged forged appointment letters, official documents, bank accounts and diplomatic activities linked to the purported agency, with a report expected within 30days
PFIPC: Adeyemi challenges FG’s narrative, asks how ‘Fake Agency’ entered national budget