Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew demands probe into alleged ₦27.3b PFIPC budget anomaly

My fellow Nigerians, members of the press, distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

I address you today not out of convenience, but out of necessity. I stand before you under a cloud of public misrepresentation, institutional denial, and deliberate attempts to silence legitimate questions of national interest.

First, let me wish Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila a happy birthday. This press conference is also a birthday gift to him. While celebrating, he should remember that Nigerians are waiting for answers on the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, PEAC.

–“I will not be intimidated”–

Let me be clear: I will not be intimidated. I will not be discredited without response. You cannot beat a child and expect him not to cry. When pain is inflicted, a response is inevitable. I will not allow my name to be used as a shield in a matter that demands full transparency.

I would rather die as a man than live as a coward.

*The core contradiction*
On 11th June 2026, the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, issued a disclaimer distancing the Office from PFIPC and PEAC. My name has been drawn into this matter.

I reject any attempt to reduce this to denials without addressing the fundamental questions Nigerians are asking. The issue is no longer about personalities. It is about contradictions that demand answers.

If the Chief of Staff, who is the administrative gateway to the Presidency, claims he is unaware of an agency, yet the President signed documents referencing it, then there is a serious administrative failure. If the agency does not exist, how did its name enter the 2026 Appropriation Act, specifically pages 50 and 51?

—Questions for the budget process—

If PFIPC is non-existent but is in the national budget, it raises questions about the integrity of the entire 2026 budget process. The budget does not emerge in isolation. It passes through technical drafting, executive coordination, ministerial inputs, Budget Office review, and legislative scrutiny by 109 Senators and 360 Representatives.

So, at what point did references to a non-existent agency enter official records? And what does that imply about the process that produced and approved those documents?

For the President to have assented to a budget containing an agency his Chief of Staff now says does not exist is an embarrassment to government.

*Questions on accounts and staff approvals*
If the agency does not exist, why does it allegedly have a domiciliary account, a pounds account, and a Treasury Single Account domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria? Is the CBN Governor, his deputies, directors, and staff incapable of detecting fraudulent account opening documents?

Note that CBN account opening begins with the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. Is the Chief of Staff saying the Accountant-General and his corps of directors and professionals failed to detect forgery?

How did the agency secure office space at the Federal Secretariat and operate for over a year? Are we to believe the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, with six Permanent Secretaries and multiple directors, was unaware?

The Head of Civil Service approved 314 staff for the said agency. Is she also incompetent?

–Allegations of intimidation and financial demands–

I am compelled to address attempts to portray me as a fraudulent actor. That portrayal is false and damaging to my reputation.

It has been alleged that there were considerations to use security institutions to frame my diplomatic engagements as espionage or disloyalty. I categorically reject any attempt to criminalize lawful activity.

For clarity: the major point of disagreement with the Chief of Staff arose after he allegedly requested 48% of the take-off grant of ₦27,395,510,136 from the same agency he now denies exists. I rejected the demand. He allegedly collected ₦400 million by proxy, with a balance of ₦200 million to secure the appointment.

Is the Chief of Staff open to an examination of all documents and communication trails in the President’s Office?

–Calls for an independent investigation–

Silence will not resolve this. Only truth will. I therefore appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the immediate establishment of an independent investigative panel to:

1. Investigate the death of Mr. Babatunde Tanimola*, the intermediary between myself and the Chief of Staff, who police said died in a fire accident at a hotel in Utako, Abuja on 22nd October 2025, a day after the Chief of Staff’s petition was received by police.
2. Investigate several attempts on my life*, including the attack on 7th September 2025 along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, during which vital documents and two phones were taken. I reported to the police and DSS. I was told the phones were tracked to Gombe, but an insider said an order was given to take no further action.
3. Compel the Chief of Staff to produce all official documents signed since assuming office for forensic analysis.
4. Ask the Chief of Staff to step aside pending the panel’s outcome, as he has allegedly used his office to intimidate persons and media houses.
5. Review budgetary references and institutional records, and question all relevant actors, with findings published transparently.

The panel should include credible civil society and international organizations. If I am wrong, let an independent process prove it. If Hon. Gbajabiamila is right, let it confirm it.

–Conclusion–

To civil society, the media, religious and traditional institutions: your engagement matters.
To Nigerians: focus on facts, not distractions.

Pages 50 and 51 of the 2026 Appropriation Act are cited as proof. I remain willing to cooperate fully with any lawful inquiry. I will not accept being silenced or discredited.

Let the investigation speak. Let the documents speak. Let the truth emerge.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you.
Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew