Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday reaffirmed his confidence in his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, telling ministers at a Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja that he trusts Gbajabiamila’s integrity, as the presidency faces mounting questions over a disputed government agency.
Tinubu’s comments come as his administration battles fallout from the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), which the presidency says was never legally established, despite receiving a 1.3 billion naira allocation in the signed 2026 budget, a Central Bank account, government office space and staff.
A man identifying himself as Adeniyi Adeyemi says he was appointed the council’s director-general and has accused Gbajabiamila of accepting 400 million naira through an intermediary to facilitate the appointment, with an additional 200 million naira demanded. Gbajabiamila denies the allegations and has threatened a 10 billion naira defamation lawsuit against Adeyemi through his lawyers.
Tinubu on Tuesday directed Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter and submit a report within 30 days. The same day, he appointed Gbajabiamila to chair a new Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, a move opposition figures said undercut the credibility of the ongoing probe.
Paul Ibe, an aide to opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, said the appointment showed Tinubu’s government was shielding Gbajabiamila rather than allowing the investigation to run its course. Adeyemi has been charged with eight counts including forgery and impersonation, with his case scheduled for a July 27 hearing, while calling for an independent panel to examine the allegations.
The controversy has drawn broader criticism, with some commentators questioning how a body the government calls fictitious secured budgetary approval from the National Assembly and was signed into law by Tinubu himself.
