Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), has opened up about his reasons for establishing the controversial agency. Speaking during a video call with social critic Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, on July 8, 2026, Matthew insisted his goal was to attract foreign investors to Nigeria and support President Bola Tinubu's administration, not to enrich himself.
Matthew's Explanation for Establishing the Agency
Matthew, who is currently facing charges over the PFIPC, stated that he paid approximately N400 million for the agency's office out of passion for the country. “I established that amount for the agency’s office out of passion for the country. I wanted to bring in foreign investors to Nigeria so that I can write my name in gold. I am just desperate to serve. That’s the reason I paid the money. I just want to do my part for the country,” he said.
He further explained that the agency was created to make Nigeria a preferred destination for foreign investors. “That agency was established to bring in foreign investments to Nigeria and make Nigeria a preferred destination for foreign investors. I walk around the inter-ministerial agencies and partner with the MDAs and EFCC to make Nigeria a preferred world destination for investments. So, it’s not about personal interest. Before this whole brouhaha, we were expecting the world to be in Nigeria through our forthcoming global summit,” Matthew added.
Confusion Over Presidency's Denial of Agency's Existence
Matthew expressed confusion over the Presidency's claim that the PFIPC does not exist, especially since the agency appeared in the national budget. “This whole thing is confusing especially when the Presidency said that the agency does not exist. How come? The agency that found its way into the national budget. I didn’t prepare any budget. In fact, I was in detention for 23 days when the budget for the Presidential Foreign Council was prepared and defended in the National Assembly between October and November,” he said.
According to Matthew, the former Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had invited him to explain how he came about the agency from the Chief of Staff to the President. “I gave him the name and number of the person that facilitated the appointment letter for me. I was thereafter detained. How come the budget that nobody defended still found its way into the national budget? By the time I came out on November 19, 2025, I was charged to court and they said the same office space had been reallocated to another government official. So I’ve not been going to the office since that October 27,” he explained.
Matthew's Interaction with Chief of Staff and Friend's Death
Responding to questions about a petition filed against him by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Matthew said he never met with him over matters concerning the agency. However, he admitted speaking with him on the telephone through his late friend, Dolapo Tanimola. Matthew claimed to have documents to support the establishment of the agency. “Any moment from now, I will go to the police and DSS to submit every document that I have to support the investigation. My friend (Tanimola), who paid the money for the establishment of the agency, is now dead in a fire accident in a hotel in Utako, Abuja,” he said.
