That is the uncomfortable truth of the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” saga. Adeyemi has been charged with eight counts of fraud and forgery. But the bigger scandal is not one man’s alleged audacity. It is how a non-existent agency got close to N1.3bn in the 2026 budget, secured office space in the heart of government, hosted top government functionaries from Nigeria and abroad, and allegedly operated multiple accounts.

This is not a story about Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila versus Prince Adeyemi. This is a story about systemic failure. And until the system is properly fixed, it is quite probable that the next Adeyemi is somewhere forging another letterhead.

There are several systemic breaches in the saga that public finance analysts and other commentators have already pointed out, but they nonetheless require restating. There is a failure of due diligence in budgeting. The 2026 Appropriation Act contained N1.3bn for the “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/PFIPC”.
The problem, however, is that PFIPC has no legal backing and was never established by the Federal Government.

Top sources in the National Assembly claim the allocation entered “through a backdoor arrangement” without budget defence. For whatever his statement is worth, Adeyemi, in his interview with social media influencer, VeryDarkMan, from his hideout, said he was detained for 23 days while the budget was being prepared. “I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf,” he said. That means the appropriation to the fake agency bypassed the committees that should have asked probing questions such as: “Which agency is this?” What is its mandate? Who are its staff members?

Since the rebirth of democracy over 27 years ago, Nigeria’s budget process has been criticised for “insertions” and “undue inflation”. PFIPC is now the clearest example of why that matters. A ghost agency should not be able to get real money. If the Budget Office, House of Representatives, and Senate all missed this, our first line of fiscal defence needs a long, hard look.

There is also the issue of appointment and office verification. Adeyemi allegedly used a forged appointment letter bearing Gbajabiamila’s purported signature and counterfeit presidential letterhead to present himself as DG. Gbajabiamila’s lawyers insist he has “never had any contact whatsoever with Adeyemi”. Yet somehow, that letter was “accepted at the civil service headquarters without adequate verification”. It secured him an office in the Federal Secretariat for over a year. Up until this month, a sign for PFIPC was still up, directing visitors to the “council’s purported office” inside the Ministry of Health wing.

Just think about that. The administrative hub of the Federal Civil Service could not detect a fake appointment. If letterheads and signatures of top government functionaries are that easy to forge and accept, then no MDA is safe. Tomorrow, it could be a fake NCC or NDDC director. And next week, possibly a fake university VC.

The third system failure is about banking and due diligence. Adeyemi allegedly opened an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria for the non-existent agency. Adeyemi himself asked the most damning question in a viral video: “The same acclaimed non-existent agency has a domiciliary account, a pounds sterling account and a Treasury Single Account, all domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria. Is it even possible to open an account with fictitious documents in a commercial bank in Nigeria today, let alone at the CBN?”

He also allegedly operated 34 bank accounts linked to fictitious agencies. Banks and government revenue platforms are required by law to conduct a KYC (know your customer) check. How did 34 accounts get opened? Who approved the TSA linkage? The EFCC has recovered items and made arrests, but the institutions that enabled the financial plumbing have not been named.

But how does the Chief of Staff come into all of this? Where does he fit into, for the life of me? Adeyemi alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded 48% of a N27.4bn take-off grant and collected N400m through proxies.
Gbajabiamila says he has never met Adeyemi in his life and no proxy has acted on his behalf. His lawyers call the allegations “false and gravely defamatory” and have slammed a N10bn suit on Adeyemi. Adeyemi himself admitted in the VDM interview that he never met Gbajabiamila.

Truth is, Gbajabiamila’s office does not issue appointments. Presidential Spokesman Bayo Onanuga had pointed out that much in a statement. The matter of appointment is the prerogative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, which is the clearing house for all appointments made by the President. Even then, the CoS’s letterhead and signature were also found to have been forged.

It was the Office of the CoS that first “blew the whistle” about the fake agency after the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council flagged it. Gbajabiamila caused a disclaimer to be placed on Adeyemi following which he was arrested by the police and arraigned in court.

It is instructive that President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission to investigate the entire scandal. That is a commendable step. The President also did not leave the duration of the investigation open-ended; he ordered that the probe be concluded within a month. It was also gathered that KPMG may be brought in if there are larger accounting issues to untangle.
Also, whereas the House of Representatives has elected to launch its own investigations into the matter, the Senate has suspended its own probe, rightfully backing the President’s action.

My point is that the investigation and the legal process must run their course. The CoS should not be guillotined, literally. There should be a presumption of innocence until he is proven guilty.
But the more important point is this: even if every allegation against the CoS is false, as it appears to be, the fact that his name and signature could be forged, and used to access government property still suggests some vulnerability in the administrative controls.

All of that has made a reform of the system imperative.
Arresting Adeyemi so he can answer for his serious misdeeds is necessary. However, that would not be sufficient. Stopping there would be akin to treating malaria with paracetamol.

In my view, at least four immediate reforms are required at this point. One is the budget integrity law. No allocation should appear in the Appropriation Act without being scrutinised by the relevant committee and published with a sponsoring MDA, a legal instrument, and a staff list. A “ghost agency” clause should trigger an automatic audit by the Auditor-General.

Secondly, there is a need for appointment verification portal. Every federal appointment letter must be logged on a public, verifiable portal managed by the SGF. MDAs should not accept physical letters without a portal code. That way, forgery becomes instantly detectable.

Thirdly, the Federal Secretariat must have more access control. A forensic audit of all offices, signage, and allocations in the secretariat is desirable. Any office space given in the last three years without SGF/HoS approval should be revoked and investigated.

The fourth, and perhaps more importantly, is the need for financial institution accountability. The CBN and commercial banks must explain how accounts were allegedly opened for PFIPC and 34 other “agencies.” The Bank Verification Number and CAC database should be crosschecked before any government-linked account is activated.

In the final analysis, Prince Adeyemi allegedly gamed the system. But systems are gamed because they are weak. The PFIPC scandal is a stress test, and the system failed at three points: budget, appointment, and banking.

*Rahman is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media & Special Duties.

The post THE PFIPC SCANDAL AND THE URGENT REFORMS REQUIRED By Tunde Rahman appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

Justice James Omotosho, in a judgment, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been able to prove the nine-count money laundering charge beyond reasonable doubt.

According to the judge, the defendant is hereby convicted as charged.

Jutsice Omotosho convicted Nwabuoku in all the nine counts and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment in each of the counts, making 72 years.

The judge, however, ordered that the counts shall run concurrently.

Justice Omotosho, who described Nwabuoku’s act of diverting funds meant for security and defence while he served as Director of Finance and Account in the Ministry of Defence as “appalling,” commended the EFCC for being detailed in its prosecution.

The judge observed that the evidence of the 9th prosecution witness that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded part of the siphoned money of over N200 million during investigation was not controverted by the defence.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nwabuoku was admitted to a N500 million bail with two sureties in the like sum after he was arraigned on Jan. 15, 2025, on a nine-count amended charge.

The EFCC listed Mr Nwabuoku as the sole defendant in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/240/2024.

Nwabuoku was alleged to have perpetrated the act while serving as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021.

The post Former Accountant-General jailed 72 years over N868m fraud appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

Eyewitnesses said the crash happened when a trailer reportedly lost control while descending the Kugbo hill toward Karu Bridge, ramming into several cars in the process. The impact led to a chain collision involving over 10 vehicles, leaving many of them badly damaged.

The accident caused a major traffic gridlock along the expressway, with commuters heading toward Nyanya, Mararaba, and Karu.

As of the time of filing this report, details regarding casualties or the number of people injured were yet to be officially confirmed.

The Kugbo–Karu Bridge corridor is one of the busiest routes into and out of Federal Capital Territory and has witnessed several accidents in the past, often linked to speeding and heavy-duty trucks navigating the steep descent toward the bridge.

The post Abuja: Multiple Vehicles, Trailer Involved in Crash at Kugbo First Gate appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

President Buhari died today in London at about 4.30 pm, following a prolonged illness.

President Tinubu has spoken with Mrs Aishat Buhari, the former President’s widow and offered his deep condolences.

President Tinubu has also ordered Vice President Kashim Shettima to proceed to the United Kingdom to accompany President Muhammadu Buhari’s body back to Nigeria.

Former President Buhari was twice elected Nigeria’s President in 2015 and 2023.

He also served as military head of state between January 1984 and August 1985.

President Tinubu has ordered flags at half-staff as a mark of respect for the departed leader.

The post Tinubu Announces Buhari’s Death, Orders Shettima to UK to Bring His Remains appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

The statement, signed by Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that the President will use the visit to evaluate his administration’s mid-term performance and review key milestones achieved so far.

He added that Tinubu will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.

“This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year.

“Recent economic strides reinforce the President’s commitment to these efforts, as evidenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria reporting a significant increase in net foreign exchange reserves to $23.11 billion—a testament to the administration’s fiscal reforms since 2023 when net reserves were $3.99 billion,” Onanuga said.

He added that while away, President Tinubu will remain fully engaged with his team and continue to oversee governance activities.

He will return to Nigeria in about a fortnight, according to the statement.

The post President Tinubu to Embark on Working Visit to France appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

Special Adviser to the President, Bayo Onanuga, announced the appointment in a press release.

He said the appointment, approved today, takes effect from 7th March 2025, the same day the incumbent Oluwatoyin Madehin will retire.

Ogunjimi, 57, was first named as Madehin’s successor last December.

“A selection committee later chose him through a competitive, rigorous, and merit-based process involving Directors of Accounts in the Federal Civil Service. The committee conducted the process through three stages: a written assessment, an ICT proficiency test, and oral interviews.

The selection process underscores President Tinubu’s commitment to promoting transparency, excellence, and competence in key public service positions.

Ogunjimi graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. He also obtained a Master’s in Accounting and Finance from the University of Lagos.

He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.

President Tinubu congratulates Ogunjimi on his appointment and urges him to discharge his duties in the service of Nigeria with integrity, professionalism, and dedication to Nigeria’s service.

The post Tinubu Appoints Ogunjimi As Accountant General of the Federation appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

The bill was passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday.

A breakdown of the budget showed N3.645trn for statutory transfers, N14.317trn for debt servicing, N13.64trn for recurrent expenditure and N23.963trn capital expenditure (development fund), with fiscal deficit put at N13.08trn.

The Deficit-to-Gross domestic product (GDP) Ratio was put at 1.52%.

Last Week, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu increased the 2025 fiscal year budget from an initial N49.7trn to N54.2trn, seeking approval from the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abubakar Bichi, while presenting the bill for consideration, stated that the committee met with the Presidential Economic Planning team to further discuss revenue projections and expenditure for the 2025 Appropriation Bill.

According to him, the 2025 Appropriation Bill was presented late, compared to that of 2024.

He urged the executive to present subsequent budgets to the National Assembly not later than three months before the next financial year, to maintain the January to December budget cycle.

The post Just-In: NASS Passes ₦54.99trn 2025 Budget appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, CON, made the disclosure when the Management of the Fellowship of Churches of Christ in Nigeria also known as Tarayyar Ekklesiyoyin Kristi A Nigeria (TEKAN) led by its President, Rev. Joel Stephen Billi in Abuja.

According to the Director, Information & Public Relations, Segun Imohiosen: “SGF stressed the ongoing efforts of the present administration to reinvigorate the security architecture of the Armed Forces to ensure peace and security in the country.

“There is no way a Government can function effectively, maximally and efficiently without peace. That is why we put emphasis on peace. Since when we took over, you know President Buhari has done a lot too, but there were areas left untouched. So it was the responsibility of the new Tinubu-led administration to move in headlong by increasing firepower of the armed forces to ensure that peace is restored”.

He also highlighted the relative improvement in the security of the country since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assumption of office, stating that some Local Governments that were hitherto under the occupation of Boko Haram insurgents have been reclaimed by the Armed Forces.

Sen. Akume commended the efforts of the Church in supplementing Government’s efforts in the area of education and health as well as promoting peaceful co-existence in the country. He assures them of Government’s commitment to partner with them in promoting development and peaceful co-existence.

Speaking earlier, the President of TEKAN, Rev. Joel Stephen Billi expressed his immense gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing the Bill establishing the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) into Law. And the palliatives he has distributed to Nigerians to cushion the effect of the removal of the fuel subsidy. He also commended the efforts of the Federal Government in improving the welfare of Nigerians and urged the administration to do more in the area of security and palliative measures to mitigate hardship in the land.

The post FG Restates Commitment To Improve Peace & Security appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

As at the time of this report, Daily Dates Nigeria gathered the circumstances surrounding the son’s death is uncertain. Family sources have described the loss as heartbreaking.

Disu recently assumed leadership of the FCT Police Command. The news of his son’s demise has sparked an outpouring of condolences from colleagues, friends, and the general public.

On Monday, Disu paid a condolence visit to CSP A.A. Sambo, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ushafa Division, who tragically lost his son too.

During the visit, CP Disu expressed heartfelt sympathies and assured CSP Sambo and his family of the Command’s unwavering support during this difficult time.

The post Son Of FCT Commissioner Of Police, Tunde Disu, Dies In Car Accident appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

He said this in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates on Monday during a meeting with the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame.

The two leaders are in Abu Dhabi to attend the Sustainability Week held between January 12 and 18.

Tinubu is expected to use the summit to stress his administration’s reforms, including those related to energy sufficiency, transportation, public health and economic development.

In a post on his official X handle, @officialABAT, the president wrote, “This evening, on the eve of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, I had meaningful conversations with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

“Africa has what it takes to develop itself. We have the resources, the people, and the capacity. We must look inward to improve intra-African trade and collaboration to benefit the African people and the continent. The time for Africa is now.”

Earlier, the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said that Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, had invited Tinubu to attend the summit.

The post Africa Has What It Takes To Develop Itself — Tinubu appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.