The Presidency has clarified that Nigeria’s institutional safeguards uncovered the alleged fraud involving Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew. 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.
“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,” Ajayi added.
