Factcheck: Presidential Economic Advisory Council really get allocation for 2026 budget?

Controversy don choke for di Nigeria Presidency as di office of di Chief of Staff to di President as well as di main tok-tok pesin for di President, Bayo Onanuga, don disown one Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi wey claim to be appointee of di President.

Adeniyi Adeyemi, according to im claims, na di Director-General of di Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

However, statement from Femi Gbajabiamila, di president Chief of Staff, tok say di Nigeria govment no get any office like dat and say President Bola Tinubu no eva give any appointment to oga Adeyemi.

Den, on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga wey be President Tinubu tok-tok pesin also issue anoda long statement wia e disown both Adeyemi and di Presidential Council wey e dey claim to be di DG.

But checks by BBC News Pidgin show say dis agency wey di presidency claim say e no exist, bin get allocation for di 2026 budget, and dem don hold high profile govment events wey no dey hidden.

For Page 50 and 51 of di 2026 Budget published by di Budget Office of di Federation, under di Presidency, di Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council get total allocation of 1,302,978,784 billion.

Di break down of di amount na 802,978,783 million na for "personnel cost", 200,000,001 million na for "overhead cost" while 300 million na for "capital projects".

Also, for October 2025, dis same agency wey di Presidency don disown now, bin hold ogbonge event ahead of dia planned 'World Investment Summit (WIS)' wey suppose hold for Nigeria for April dis year.

For dat October event wey di Guadian Nigeria bin report, Adeniyi Adeyemi say dem dey expect to host about 80 Heads of State and Govment from around di world to attend di summit, and di theme go be 'Unlocking Capital, Accelerating Development, Driving Prosperity'.

According to am, dem dey hope say di summit go attract more dan $5 trillion to Nigeria as foreign direct investment (FDI) opportunities.

Plenti top diplomats from foreign kontris wey get missions for Nigeria bin attend dat event wey hold for Wells Carlton Hotel, Abuja.

'Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew na clear case of con artist' - Bayo Onanuga

But on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, presidential tok-tok pesin Bayo Onanuga accuse Adeyemi say e use fake documents wit forged signatures and seals, to dey claim leadership appointment for office wey no dey exist.

E also tok say police don chook eye for di mata and dem establish say di agency wey Adeyemi claim say e be di DG na fake, and say di man bin forge im appointment letter plus oda documents wey police recova from im house and office.

"Di case of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew na clear case of con artist wey don build web of false claims to deceive unsuspecting govment officials and di public into playing by im scam book," Onanuga tok for im statement.

"For November 2016, im (Adeyemi) bin parade imsef as ambassador and President-General of di World Youth Organisation (WYO), wey be affiliate of di United Nations (UN)... Di local media bin dey celebrate am until di UN later deny say such a bodi exist," di presidential tok-tok pesin add.

However, Adeyemi bin don deny di allegation wey both Onanuga and Gbajabiamila dey put on im head.

For Statement wey e release on 26 June 2026, e claim say e get documents to show say true-true Presido Tinubu give am appointment.

Adeyemi tok say di Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council wia e be Director General get account wit di Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and di govment bin allocate money to dem for di 2026 budget.

"Make we assume for one second say evritin wey di Chief of Staff publish na true, say di agency no dey exist. Den how di agency name take enta di 2026 appropriation budget for pages 50 and 51?" e ask.

"Dis issue no longer be about personalities. Na about contradictions wey demand answers," e tok.

Adeyemi call on President Tinubu to set up independent investigation to torchlight di mata between am and Gbajabiamila.

"Di purpose na clarity: no be denial versus counter-denial. If I dey wrong, let di independent process prove am. If Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila dey right, make dem confam am," e tok.

BBC News Pidgin check di website of di Budget Office of di Federation and we see true-true say di Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council get budget allocation and dia name appear for page 50 and 51 of di 2026 budget.

According to Onanuga, afta di police investigation wia dem find out say Adeyemi na fake, dem file di mata bifor di Federal High Court and e go come up for hearing on 27 July 2026.

Who be Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi?

For now, no much information dey available for di public domain about dis Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi except for di fact say im be di Director General of di Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

Di council describe demsefs for di Instagram handle as government organisation wey dey "facilitate global partnerships and foreign investment into Nigeria".

Di Instagram handle na for May 2025 dem set am up, and dia website - www.pfipc.gov.ng - no dey go again wen our tori pesin check am.

However, dis Adeniyi Adeyemi no be di same pesin as one member of di House of Representatives wey get similar name - Prince Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi.

Wetin Nigerians tok

Plenti Nigerians don dey chook mouth ontop dis development as many tok say na very embarrassing situation for di presidency.

Senior lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana to say President Tinubu suppose setup independent investigation to chook eye ontop di mata, especially since e also involve di President Chief of Staff.

Falana tok say di Presidency no fit tok say dem don clear Gbajabiamila or anybodi wey dey involved for di mata. "Di Presidency suppose just refer Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as di oda individual, to di ICPC bicos allegations of fraud and corruption don dey raised," e tok.

"Di govment gatz explain to Nigerians how a whopping sum of 24bn naira dey budgeted for an unknown agency, as well as how dat agency take get accounts wit di Central Bank of Nigeria."

On di oda hand, former lawmaker Shehu Sani write for im X handle say im bin serve as vice chairman of di Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, and e bin no see any agency wit di title of Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.