Gbajabiamila: They prepared PFIPC budget while I was in detention – Adeyemi
Director-General Questions Agency’s Inclusion in National Budget While Detained
Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who asserts he is the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has raised concerns about how the agency appeared in the national budget despite official claims from the Presidency that it does not exist.
In a conversation with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, Adeyemi stated that he was in police custody during the budget preparation period and was unable to participate in the budget defense process.
Adeyemi reported that he was summoned by the Nigeria Police Force on October 27 in connection with a petition reportedly submitted by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, which questioned the operations of the PFIPC.
He indicated that he complied with the police invitation and answered inquiries regarding the agency, his appointment, and those who facilitated his hiring.
According to Adeyemi, he spent 23 days in detention, from October 27 to November 19, before being arraigned in court on November 27.
By the time Adeyemi was released, he claimed that the agency’s office had already been reassigned to another government official, preventing his return to work since his arrest.
He expressed confusion over the circumstances that led to the PFIPC’s inclusion in the national budget, emphasizing that neither he nor anyone else represented the agency during the budget defense before the National Assembly.
Adeyemi questioned how legislators and relevant authorities failed to identify what the Presidency now describes as a non-existent agency prior to the budget’s passage and subsequent signing into law.
Responding to Gbajabiamila’s assertion that the agency does not exist, Adeyemi refrained from accusing the Chief of Staff of dishonesty but called for an independent investigation to clarify the situation.
He reiterated his request for President Bola Tinubu to establish an investigative panel to determine how the PFIPC was created and identify those responsible.
Adeyemi also expressed his willingness to provide all relevant documents to the police or the Department of State Services to aid in verifying their authenticity and uncovering the truth.
In a separate incident, Adeyemi reported surviving an attack by gunmen near Zuma Rock, close to Madala, in September of the previous year.
He stated, “This whole situation is perplexing. When the Presidency, through the Chief of Staff, claimed the agency does not exist, I was left wondering. How did the agency make its way into the national budget without being detected by the experienced members of the Senate and House of Representatives?”
Adeyemi maintained his stance on the need for clarity, emphasizing that he was detained during the budget preparation and had no involvement in its defense, further complicating the matter surrounding the agency’s inclusion in the budget.