Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, the embattled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, has admitted lobbying officials at Nigeria’s Budget Office to secure the inclusion of his controversial agency in the 2026 federal budget.
In an Instagram interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, Adeniyi revealed that he first approached the Budget Office in late 2024, seeking placement in the 2025 budget.
He was told the process had closed but was assured his proposal would be considered for 2026.Despite ongoing investigations into the agency’s legitimacy, the 2026 Appropriation Act controversially allocated ₦1.3bn to the organisation.
Adeniyi insists he never paid bribes, claiming instead that he promised employment opportunities to officials who assisted him.“Honestly, I did not pay any money.
The only thing I promised was that if I started employing people, I could help them with employment opportunities,” he said.Adeniyi further alleged that a female official introduced him to senior Budget Office staff, who later referred him to a director.
He denied ever meeting the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, stressing that his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola, handled financial dealings on his behalf.
The scandal deepened after Adeniyi’s arrest, when he claimed to be surprised that the agency still appeared in the 2026 budget.
He also admitted that ₦400m was paid in U.S. dollars through Tanimola to secure his purported appointment.
The Presidency has dismissed Adeniyi as an impostor, while VeryDarkMan has called for a wider probe into the Budget Office and other institutions, arguing that Adeniyi should not be the only one held accountable if his claims prove true.
Background reports show Adeniyi allegedly operated with forged documents and impersonated government officials, running the fictitious agency from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja. Security agencies have charged him with forgery and impersonation.
The controversy has sparked public outrage and renewed calls for transparency in Nigeria’s budgetary process.
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