The Presidency on Wednesday dismissed allegations of bribery levelled against the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, describing the claims as false and accusing the complainant, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, of operating a fictitious government agency and forging official documents.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Adeyemi, who had presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, was never appointed by the Federal Government.
Adeyemi had alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded a N27.4 billion take-off grant for the agency and received N400 million through intermediaries to facilitate his appointment, with an outstanding balance of N200 million.
He also urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute an independent investigative panel to probe the allegations, examine official documents signed by the Chief of Staff, investigate alleged attempts on his life and compel Gbajabiamila to step aside pending the outcome of the investigation.
Responding in a statement, Onanuga said the allegations were baseless and intended to divert attention from the findings of security agencies on Adeyemi’s activities.
According to him, the Office of the Chief of Staff had, on October 17, petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force over the activities of “fraudsters and impostors” allegedly forging appointment letters purportedly issued from the office.
He explained that the petition followed complaints from the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), which raised concerns about another organisation allegedly operating in conflict with its statutory functions.
“The letter to the security agencies was accompanied by copies of the forged appointment letter, requests for a note verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and photographs of engagements obtained from the illegal agency’s website,” Onanuga said.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier sought clarification on the status of Adeyemi’s purported appointment after he reportedly convened a meeting with foreign ambassadors at the Wells Carlton Hotel, Abuja, on October 10, 2025, without the ministry’s involvement.
According to Onanuga, the ministry wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Chief of Staff on October 15, 2025, while the ONSA subsequently referred the matter to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), which also requested clarification.
The presidential spokesman said Gbajabiamila responded by categorically denying issuing any appointment letter to Adeyemi, stressing that the agency in question did not exist and that appointments into federal offices are the exclusive responsibility of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Onanuga said police investigations established that Adeyemi forged his appointment letter and other official documents, falsely presented himself as a presidential appointee and used the documents to seek a note verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate visa applications.
He further disclosed that investigators uncovered 34 bank accounts allegedly operated by Adeyemi, including nine opened in the names of fictitious organisations such as the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Public Private Partnership (FIPA-APP).
The police also found that Adeyemi allegedly used forged documents to fraudulently open an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although no public funds were transferred into the account, the Presidency said.
The Presidency’s response comes amid public attention generated by the allegations following a recent Daily Trust report on the controversy.