Presidency Clears Gbajabiamila of N27.4bn Bribery Allegation

Presidency Clears Gbajabiamila of N27.4bn Bribery Allegation
Labels Accuser an Impostor
Says Agency Linked to Gbajabiamila Accuser Never Existed

The Presidency has dismissed allegations of bribery against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, describing the claims as false and accusing the man behind them of operating a fictitious government agency.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that in a statement issued on Wednesday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims to be the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council/Presidential Economic Advisory Council, has been parading himself under a non-existent agency.

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Adeyemi had alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded ₦27.4 billion as a take-off grant for the agency and collected ₦400 million through proxies to facilitate his appointment, leaving an outstanding balance of ₦200 million.

He also called on President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent panel to investigate the allegations and asked that the Chief of Staff step aside while the probe was ongoing.

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However, Onanuga said the claims were baseless, revealing that the Office of the Chief of Staff had already alerted security agencies to the activities of individuals allegedly forging official documents and impersonating government officials.

According to him, Gbajabiamila wrote to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force on October 17, 2025, requesting an investigation into suspected fraudsters who were issuing forged appointment letters in his name.

He said the complaint included copies of forged appointment letters, requests for diplomatic notes and photographs obtained from the website of the alleged agency.

Onanuga added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also questioned the legitimacy of Adeyemi’s organisation after he reportedly held a meeting with ambassadors in Abuja without the ministry’s approval.

He explained that subsequent correspondence involving the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and the Chief of Staff confirmed that no such agency existed and that Adeyemi had never been appointed to any government position.

“The Chief of Staff does not issue appointment letters. Such appointments are the responsibility of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Onanuga said.

He further disclosed that police investigations found that Adeyemi allegedly forged appointment documents, falsely presented himself as a presidential appointee and used the documents to seek official diplomatic support, including visa processing.

According to the Presidency, investigators also discovered that Adeyemi allegedly operated 34 bank accounts, with 9 reportedly opened in the names of fictitious government agencies.

The statement added that police established that a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account had been opened using fraudulent documents, although no public funds were paid into the account.

The Presidency maintained that the allegations against Gbajabiamila were unfounded and reiterated that the matter had already been referred to law enforcement agencies for appropriate action.