The Nigerian Presidency has officially cleared the air regarding recent, sensational claims involving Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President. For some time, an individual named Adeniyi Matthew has been making bold, headline-grabbing assertions, claiming that he held a senior position as Director-General of a government agency and that his appointment was part of a corrupt, cash-for-office scheme involving the Chief of Staff. Matthew went as far as alleging that he was owed money from a multi-billion naira take-off grant and even claimed his life was in danger due to this friction. However, the Presidency has dismissed these narratives as entirely fabricated, labeling Matthew an impostor who has been orchestrating a sophisticated web of lies to deceive both the public and government officials.
The reality, according to official reports, is that Adeniyi Matthew has no legitimate ties to the Presidency, nor does the “Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council” he claims to lead actually exist. The trouble began when Matthew started acting like a high-ranking government official, even going so far as to convene meetings with foreign ambassadors in Abuja without any authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This unauthorized behavior caught the attention of the National Security Adviser and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. When they checked the records, Gbajabiamila confirmed that he had never appointed Matthew to any position and had no knowledge of any such council, marking the start of a deep dive into what is now recognized as a massive fraud operation.
Behind the scenes, security agencies have been building a case against Matthew that suggests his claims of extortion were actually a defensive distraction from his own criminal activities. Investigations led to the discovery that Matthew had allegedly forged his appointment letters and doctored official government documents. During a search of both his office in Abuja and his residence in Suleja, investigators reportedly uncovered a trove of incriminating evidence, including 34 different bank accounts. Some of these accounts were opened under the names of entirely fictitious government agencies, and he even managed to mislead the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to open a bank account with the Central Bank of Nigeria under false pretenses.
By October 2025, the weight of the evidence forced the Chief of Staff to take formal action, petitioning the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the forgery. The Presidency emphasized that Matthew’s conduct not only amounted to criminal fraud and impersonation but was a calculated attempt to damage the integrity of the nation’s highest office. The investigation concluded that there was no “appointment-for-cash” scandal—only a criminal enterprise designed to extract money from unsuspecting parties while tarnishing the reputation of the Chief of Staff and the Presidency on an international stage.
The legal hammer eventually fell in November 2025, when Matthew and two of his alleged accomplices were brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja. They are currently facing an eight-count charge of forgery and impersonation, with the trial set to continue in late July. It is particularly noteworthy that the recent public accusations against Gbajabiamila were made by Matthew while he was out on police bail. The Presidency points out the blatant inconsistency in his story, noting that these new, desperate claims contradict what he previously told investigators. By speaking out now, he is seemingly attempting to weaponize public opinion to escape the consequences of his legal battles.
Ultimately, the Presidency is urging the public and political commentators to exercise caution and resist the urge to validate these claims without evidence. Because the matter is currently being litigated in court, the Presidency has emphasized that these accusations are sub judice—meaning they are currently under judicial consideration and should not be discussed as fact. They are warning the public not to be misled by a narrative that appears designed to create chaos rather than seek truth. As the trial progresses, the government remains confident that the judicial process will expose the full extent of the fraud and hold the perpetrators accountable for their efforts to undermine the sanctity of the state.