The embattled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, has claimed he personally approached officials of the Budget Office to secure the inclusion of the controversial agency in the 2026 Federal Government budget.
Adeniyi made the claim during an interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a video published on Instagram following his arrest.
The agency, which the Federal Government has described as non-existent, was allocated about ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, triggering public outrage and calls for an investigation into the budget process.
During the interview, Adeniyi denied ever meeting the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, insisting the presidential aide played no role in the budgetary allocation.
“I never met Gbajabiamila physically before or after his appointment. Dolapo Tanimola handled everything for me,” he said.
Recounting how the agency allegedly found its way into the budget proposal, Adeniyi said he first visited the Budget Office in December 2024 to seek its inclusion in the 2025 budget.
“I submitted my request, but I was told it was already too late because the budget process had closed,” he said.
According to him, officials later informed him that the proposal would instead be considered during preparations for the 2026 budget.
“When the 2025 budget was released and I didn’t see the allocation, those officials told me it would be moved to the 2026 budget, and we kept in touch,” he added.
Adeniyi further alleged that a female official introduced him to the Director-General of the Budget Office, who subsequently referred him to another senior official.
“She helped me see the boss. He asked, ‘Where is my shini?’ I told him I didn’t have any. He later directed me to meet one of the directors,” he claimed.
He said the director informed him that the proposal could not be accommodated in the 2025 budget but assured him efforts would continue for the following fiscal year.
Asked whether he paid any official to facilitate the process, Adeniyi denied offering bribes.
“I didn’t pay anybody money. The only thing I promised was that if the agency became operational and I started employing people, I could help them with employment opportunities,” he said.
He added that his arrest interrupted every discussion regarding the proposed agency and claimed he was unaware it had eventually appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
“Once I got into trouble, everything stopped. I didn’t know it had been captured in the budget until people told me later,” he said.
Responding to questions on whether Budget Office officials could have inserted the agency into the budget after his arrest, Adeniyi said he could not explain how it happened.
“I don’t know because I stopped following up once I was facing court proceedings,” he stated.
Adeniyi also addressed allegations that he paid $400 million to secure his purported appointment, saying the money was delivered in US dollars through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola.
When asked who received the funds, he replied, “Dolapo.”
Meanwhile, VeryDarkMan, in the caption accompanying the interview, called for a comprehensive investigation into the Budget Office and other government institutions, arguing that Adeniyi should not be the only person held accountable if his allegations are substantiated.
The allegations made by Adeniyi have not been independently verified, while the officials and institutions mentioned are yet to publicly respond to the claims.
Adeniyi is facing charges bordering on forgery and impersonation after allegedly presenting himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an agency the Presidency has repeatedly described as fictitious. Despite the government’s position, the agency was allocated approximately ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 budget, prompting widespread scrutiny of the federal appropriation process.
