By our Reporter
The Presidency has dismissed claims by one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew that he was appointed Director-General of a Presidential Economic Advisory Council, describing him as an impostor who operated a fictitious government agency using forged documents.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President had, as far back as October 2025, alerted security agencies to the activities of individuals forging presidential appointment letters and operating under the guise of a non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, also referred to as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council
According to the statement, the matter first came to the attention of the Chief of Staff following complaints from officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), who raised concerns over another agency allegedly performing overlapping functions.
On October 17, 2025, the Chief of Staff petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force, requesting an investigation into what he described as “fraudsters and impostors” forging official appointment letters purportedly issued from his office.
The petition alleged that Adeyemi had been presenting himself as the Director-General of the fake agency, operating from an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, hosting meetings with foreign diplomats and Nigerian officials, and even seeking a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate United States visas for members of the purported agency.
The Presidency said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also raised concerns after Adeyemi reportedly held a meeting with ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja without the ministry’s knowledge, describing the action as a violation of established diplomatic protocols.
Following requests for clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Chief of Staff repeatedly denied any knowledge of Adeyemi or the purported council, insisting that the agency did not exist and that his office had never issued any appointment letter to him.
Police investigations subsequently led to Adeyemi’s arrest on October 27, 2025, at the office from which he allegedly operated the scheme. Searches conducted at the premises and his residence in Suleja led to the recovery of documents and exhibits believed to be connected to the alleged fraud.
According to the statement, Adeyemi told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in obtaining the forged appointment letter. However, police later established that Tanimola had died in a hotel fire in Abuja five days before Adeyemi’s arrest.
The investigation reportedly confirmed that the agency was fictitious and that Adeyemi forged his appointment letter and other official documents, falsely represented himself as a government appointee, and fraudulently sought diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The police also discovered that Adeyemi operated 34 bank accounts, including nine allegedly opened in the names of fictitious agencies, and had fraudulently opened a Central Bank of Nigeria account by misleading the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. Investigators, however, said no government funds were paid into the account.
The police concluded that the suspect’s actions amounted to forgery, impersonation and obtaining by false pretence, bringing the Presidency and the Office of the Chief of Staff into disrepute.
Based on the findings, the police filed an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 27, 2025, against Adeyemi and two alleged accomplices. The case is scheduled for hearing on July 27.
The Presidency noted that while on police bail, Adeyemi recently renewed claims that the Chief of Staff had appointed him as Director-General of the non-existent agency, prompting another public disclaimer from the Chief of Staff on June 8, 2026.
Onanuga described Adeyemi as a serial fraudster with a history of false representation, recalling that in 2016 he allegedly claimed to be an ambassador and President-General of the World Youth Organisation, an entity later disowned by the United Nations.
The Presidency urged politicians and members of the public not to lend credibility to Adeyemi’s claims, stressing that the matter is before the court and should be allowed to run its legal course.
