Embattled DG Opens Up on 'Fake' Presidential Council, Denies Budget Fraud

By Newsline NG -



The Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, has explained the reasons behind establishing the organisation, insisting it was created to attract foreign investment and promote Nigeria's image rather than for personal benefit.

Matthew made the remarks during a video interview with social media personality Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, amid growing controversy surrounding the council, which has since been disowned by the Presidency.

According to him, the initiative was designed to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu by encouraging foreign investors to consider Nigeria as a favourable investment destination.

He said his intention was to contribute meaningfully to national development, maintaining that resources committed to setting up the council were spent out of patriotism and not for personal enrichment.

"I wanted to attract foreign investors to Nigeria and make the country a preferred investment destination. Everything I did was driven by my desire to serve my country," Matthew said.

Responding to allegations surrounding the council's inclusion in the 2026 federal budget, Matthew denied any involvement in preparing or defending the appropriation before the National Assembly.

He claimed he was in police custody for 23 days during the period the budget was reportedly prepared and defended, making it impossible for him to influence the process.

The embattled official also questioned the Presidency's position that the council never existed, arguing that it would be difficult for a non-existent agency to secure an allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Matthew disclosed that the former Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, interrogated him over his appointment. According to him, he provided investigators with the identity and contact details of the individual who facilitated his appointment letter before he was detained.

He further revealed that by the time he regained his freedom in November 2025, he had already been arraigned in court and the office earlier assigned to the council had been allocated to another government official.

On allegations linking the President's Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to the matter, Matthew admitted speaking with him on the telephone through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola, but denied ever meeting him physically over the council.

He also stated that he possesses documents relating to the establishment of the council and pledged to submit them to the police and the Department of State Services as part of the ongoing investigation.

Matthew added that the friend who allegedly financed the establishment of the council later died in a hotel fire incident in Utako, Abuja.

The controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council intensified after the agency appeared among beneficiaries in the 2026 federal budget despite the Presidency insisting that President Tinubu neither approved nor established such a body.

Following public outcry, President Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate how the council was included in the Appropriation Act and identify those responsible for the alleged budget insertion for possible prosecution.

Matthew had earlier been arrested and arraigned on charges bordering on forgery, impersonation and other related offences. However, he has consistently maintained that all documents in his possession were lawfully obtained.

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