‘Fake’ agency: Tinubu’s amoral rule breeds impunity, abuse of power! By Olu Fasan

A startling paradox defines President Bola Tinubu's administration: while prosecuting former officials for corruption, his government is simultaneously plagued by alleged abuses of power and impunity. This is exemplified by the recent "fake" agency saga, which has raised serious questions about governance and transparency.

“

There is a shocking paradox, a bewildering moral hypocrisy, at the heart of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.

The Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), led by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, emerged seemingly from nowhere, operating with the full apparatus of a federal parastatal. It possessed an office, civil servants, the authority to hire hundreds of staff, bank accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and even a N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 budget. Adeyemi interacted freely with top government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Accountant-General.

However, upon public revelation, the government disavowed any knowledge of the agency, labeling it "bogus" and its director-general "fake." President Tinubu reportedly expressed outrage and ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the agency's legitimacy and identify those responsible for its creation and operation.

“

Where else in the world would such a thing happen? Where else would a “phantom” agency walk its way through the machinery of government and even penetrate diplomatic fortresses and yet have no legal basis for existing? Where else, except in mafia-run countries?

The author criticizes this situation, questioning where else such a scenario could occur, likening it to "mafia-run countries." The piece suggests that in countries like the U.S. or Britain, such a matter would trigger independent judicial inquiries or powerful congressional hearings, rather than an internal probe by a state organ potentially implicated in the affair. This incident underscores deep-seated issues of impunity and a lack of accountability within the Nigerian government.

“

But I repeat: where else would such a thing happen: an entire arm of government emerging and operating freely with no one admitting to facilitating its emergence and operations?