Adeyemi saga: The bizarre story of Nigeria’s ‘fake’ presidential council

For more than two years, one man, Adeniyi Adeyemi, walked Nigeria’s corridors of power as the “Director-General” of a federal government agency that “didn’t exist”.

The role of the “fake” agency, the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was purportedly to attract foreign investment, aid and partnerships.

So, how did it happen?

Well, using what the presidency calls forged State House letterhead, Adeyemi convinced top government agencies and officials of the genuineness of his agency.

Nigeria’s Premium Times newspaper, citing a purported official letter, reported that the “fake” agency was created through a presidential executive order in 2023 and that Adeyemi was appointed as its head in March 2024.

The government gave him an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, where most government ministries and agencies operate.

Official budgetary status

Adeyemi operated from there with his staff, and the agency was given official budgetary status.

He also held meetings with members of the diplomatic community.

However, the Nigerian government now says his agency is “fictitious”.

In a statement on 1 July, President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said the suspect misled the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and “fraudulently” opened an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria using “fake documents”.

Onanuga said police investigations found that Adeyemi “operated 34 bank accounts” in total.

It’s not yet clear exactly how much money, including budgetary allocations, was involved in the whole saga.

Alarm bells

So, what triggered the alarm bells?

The government said another agency, the Nigeria Export Promotion Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote to the Nigerian presidency to complain about Adeniyi’s activities.

Then in October 2025, Chief of Staff at the presidency, Femi Gbajabiamila, told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the council “is fake”.

Police arrested Adeyemi. He was later released on bail, but local media quoted him as saying he had now “gone into hiding” because of safety concerns.

Before the saga, Adeniyi was a little-known figure.

Local media say he is 38 years old and from the southern state of Oyo.

He now faces an eight-count charge, including forgery, with the hearing set for 27 July.

Adeyemi has vowed to prove his innocence in court, insisting he had been appointed to head the agency by Chief of Staff Gbajabiamila, who denies the suspect’s claim.

The issue has now raised questions about oversight, transparency and accountability in government, but the authorities have vowed to get to the root of it.