The Director-General of the disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has denied making the budget included in the 2026 Appropriation Act for the council.
In a chat with social media influencer and activist, Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, Mr Adeyemi said he was in police custody when the budget was being worked on.
He insisted that neither he nor anyone representing him took part in the budget preparation or its defense.
A look at the 2026 Appropriation Act shows that the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC)/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) is listed under the presidency, with a budget of N1.3 billion.
This budget includes N800 million for personnel costs and N200 million for capital projects.
The presidency has stated that the PFIPC is not a recognized government agency. They claimed Mr Adeyemi forged documents to present himself as its head. The PEAC was set up by former President Muhammadu Buhari and included well-known Nigerian economists. The council has not operated since President Bola Tinubu took office.
Mr Adeyemi was charged in court in November 2025 with eight counts related to forgery and impersonation.
But the inclusion of this agency, which the government claims does not exist, in the budget has raised questions about how it made its way into the Nigerian government’s top ranks.
Mr Adeyemi said he was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force’s Monitoring Unit on 27 October 2025 after a petition was filed about the agency’s activities. He added that he was detained for 23 days before being released on 19 November.
When Mr Otse asked him if he had prepared the agency’s budget, Mr Adeyemi replied: "No, sir. I’m not the one because when the preparations for the budget started, I was invited by the Nigeria Police Force, Department of Monitoring Unit."
He stated that his time in detention made it impossible for him to take part in the budget process.
“I did not, and nobody went for the defense. That is why I’m confused that, how come that the budget that nobody defended could still find its way to the national budget,” he said.
Mr Adeyemi also mentioned that by the time he was released from detention, he had already been taken to court and had not returned to the office since then.
“That is why I’m confused, how did the agency find its way into the national budget?” he asked.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Adeyemi’s trial, which first came up for arraignment on 3 February, has faced delays due to several adjournments from defense requests, court scheduling problems, and health issues.
On 3 February, Mr Adeyemi’s lawyers told the court they needed more time, stating they had just received the charges.
Even though the prosecutors argued that the charges had been served two weeks earlier, the judge agreed to give the defense more time. The court then postponed the case until 11 February.
But the case could not continue on that date because Justice Umar was attending a judicial workshop, and the court did not sit.
Both sides later picked a new date before the court registrar, rescheduling the case for 14 April.
When the case was called on 14 April, Mr Adeyemi was not in court.
His lawyer presented a letter informing the court that he was unwell and could not attend.
Although the prosecutor opposed another delay, the court postponed the case until 16 June due to Mr Adeyemi's absence.
Mr Adeyemi appeared in court with his lawyer on the new date, and the prosecution informed the court that it was ready to move forward with the arraignment.
However, the defense requested another adjournment, stating that their lawyer was ill and unable to proceed. The court granted this request and postponed the case to 14 July.
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