Forgery scandal rocks fake presidential council, ministry seeks investigation

Adeniyi Adeyemi forged appointment papers to pose as head of a non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and used the fake status to push requests through government offices. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs moved for clarification after he convened a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja.

Femi Gbajabiamila, the President’s Chief of Staff, denied issuing any appointment letter and said appointments to federal offices are not made from his office. He also asked security agencies to investigate and prosecute those behind the forgery. The purported council did not exist, and no valid appointment came from the Chief of Staff’s office.

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation processed requests tied to the supposed agency, including office space at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and Central Bank of Nigeria accounts opened with forged documents. A posting letter published on the agency’s website posted at least three civil servants from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation on August 28, 2025.

The supposed council appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a N1.3 billion allocation. The African Democratic Congress said Nigerians deserved answers about how a fictitious organisation operated across multiple arms of government.

Femi Falana, SAN, said the matter exposed Nigeria to “unprecedented ridicule” and questioned how such a body could enter the budget, get an office, open CBN accounts and attract staff postings. Police filed an eight-count criminal charge against Adeyemi as investigators continue to examine how he reached senior government offices and whether other officials enabled the scheme.