Nigeria probes 'ghost agency' with $1-M budget
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has ordered an investigation into how a fictitious government agency allegedly established offices inside the federal secretariat and was earmarked to receive nearly one million US dollars in this year's budget.
The entity, called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was allocated about 1.3 billion naira (US$944,300) despite having no legal status under Nigerian law.
Tinubu's office said the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had been instructed to complete its investigation within 30 days. The probe will examine allegations that forged appointment letters and false claims of presidential backing were used to gain official recognition, diplomatic support and visa facilitation.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga described the council's purported director, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, as a "con artist" with a history of fraudulent misrepresentation. He also insisted that no public funds had been released to the agency, even as questions mounted over how it was included in the national budget.
The controversy has intensified scrutiny of the government's budgeting process and placed fresh pressure on Tinubu ahead of January's presidential election.
Adeyemi is due to appear in court on July 27 on charges including forging official documents, seeking recognition for a fake government agency and opening multiple bank accounts in its name.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
