Nigerian government agency discovered to be fictitious after years of operation

For years, a seemingly official Nigerian government body, the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), operated without actually existing. The agency maintained a facade of legitimacy with an office in Abuja's Federal Secretariat, a functional website, social media presence, and even approval to hire over 300 staff.

Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew reportedly served as the "Director-General" of this fictitious PFIPC, an entity purportedly aimed at attracting foreign investment, aid, and partnerships. Matthew engaged with government officials, including cabinet ministers, financial regulators, the head of Nigeria's anti-corruption agency, and foreign diplomats, further lending credibility to the phantom organization.

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The fake documents, bearing falsified signatures, reference/folio numbers, and seals, have been used to claim leadership appointments to non-existent entities, with particular reference to the PFIPC.

Alarm bells began ringing in 2025 when officials from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council questioned Matthew's activities, noting his agency seemed to operate at cross-purposes with theirs. Subsequently, the president's chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, filed a police complaint alleging that his signature, official seals, and reference numbers had been forged by Matthew to claim leadership appointments in non-existent entities like the PFIPC.

The presidency confirmed that Matthew had misled the accountant-general's office into opening 34 bank accounts for the PFIPC, including one with the Central Bank of Nigeria. Despite the PFIPC being included in the 2026 national budget with an allocation of 1.3 billion naira ($1.3 million), no government funds were transferred to these accounts. This revelation has prompted wider scrutiny of government institutions, with a second organization, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, also under investigation.

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Politicians and members of the public who are weaponising Adeyemi's claim against the chief of staff should refrain from swallowing his narrative hook, line and sinker.