The Presidency has clarified that Nigeria’s institutional safeguards uncovered the alleged fraud involving Matthew Adeniyi, who falsely presented himself as the head of a non-existent Presidential Advisory Council, prompting swift investigations by the relevant security and anti-graft agencies.
Responding to claims of systemic failure, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the system worked as designed when officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, detected the anomaly and reported it to the appropriate authorities.
“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively.
“First, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the statutory agency responsible for investment promotion, together with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, identified the anomaly and lodged complaints with the appropriate authorities for clarification. That is a system functioning as it should. It is a system capable of detecting an aberration,” he said.
Ajayi noted that Adeniyi’s activities were likely facilitated by collaborators within government institutions, stressing that investigators from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must dismantle the criminal network behind the scheme and ensure that all those found culpable are arrested and prosecuted.
He further maintained that Adeniyi was exploiting public perceptions of corruption to divert attention from the allegations against him, describing him as a serial fraudster attempting to drag the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his alleged criminal enterprise.
“In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption. Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues.
“Matthew Adeniyi understands Nigerian public psychology, and he is exploiting it expertly to shield himself. He is an irredeemable con artist who is attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his criminal enterprise. The Chief of Staff is simply his last straw,” Ajayi said.
While acknowledging concerns over the institutional lapses that enabled the alleged scheme, Ajayi argued that the more significant point was that the same system ultimately uncovered the fraud and brought those responsible under investigation.
“Many commentators have rightly pointed to the systemic failure that allowed such an elaborate fraudulent scheme to flourish. Daredevil criminals who operate around government institutions with the sole aim of pulling off spectacular heists are common across the world. Some succeed, many fail. The part many commentators have overlooked, however, is how that same system eventually detected the fraud and fished him out,” he stated.
The Presidency has clarified that Nigeria’s institutional safeguards uncovered the alleged fraud involving Matthew Adeniyi, who falsely presented himself as the head of a non-existent Presidential Advisory Council, and responded swiftly by prompting investigations.
Speaking contrary to claims of systemic failure, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the system functioned as intended when officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified irregularities and reported the matter to the appropriate authorities for clarification.
Ajayi maintained that the system detected the fraud and fished the “con artist” out. Investigations by the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to unravel the criminal network behind the scheme and ensure that everyone found culpable is brought to justice.
“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively.
“First, officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), the statutory agency responsible for investment promotion, together with officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, identified the anomaly and lodged complaints with the appropriate authorities for clarification. That is a system functioning as it should. It is a system capable of detecting an aberration. ” he said.
The presidential aide identified that Adeniyi’s activities were possibly aided by collaborators within government institutions, stressing that investigators from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must uncover the criminal network and ensure those responsible are arrested and prosecuted.
Ajayi maintained that Matthew Adeniyi was exploiting public perceptions of corruption to divert attention from the allegations against him, describing him as a serial fraudster attempting to drag the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his alleged criminal enterprise.
“In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption. Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues.
“Matthew Adeniyi understands Nigerian public psychology, and he is exploiting it expertly to shield himself. He is an irredeemable con artist who is attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his criminal enterprise. The Chief of Staff is simply his last straw.”
“Many commentators have rightly pointed to the systemic failure that allowed such an elaborate fraudulent scheme to flourish. Daredevil criminals who operate around government institutions with the sole aim of pulling off spectacular heists are common across the world. Some succeed, many fail. The part many commentators have overlooked, however, is how that same system eventually detected the fraud and fished him out,” he stated.
Temitope Ajayi’s clarification follows recent allegations by Matthew Adeniyi, who claimed to head a purported Presidential Advisory Council and sought to link the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to his appointment.
The Presidency has since dismissed the claims, insisting that no such government agency exists and that investigations into the alleged fraud were initiated after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs detected irregularities and alerted the appropriate authorities.
