By Mohammed Bello Doka
4th July, 2026.
There are moments in a nation's life when coincidence becomes conspiracy, when incompetence becomes indistinguishable from intent, and when the people wonder whether they are witnessing deception or catastrophic failure. This is one of those moments. The story of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council — the fake agency that operated with a N1.3 billion budget, occupied office space in the Federal Secretariat, and enjoyed protection from the highest offices — is not merely one man's audacious fraud. It reveals something far more troubling for Nigeria's future.
Consider the cast of characters. President Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba man. Femi Gbajabiamila, his Chief of Staff, also Yoruba. Bayo Onanuga, his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, also Yoruba. Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the alleged mastermind, also Yoruba. Senator Solomon Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, also Yoruba. The EFCC chairman, a Yoruba man, was photographed presenting an award to Mr. Adeniyi. Inspector General of Police, also Yoruba, approved police escorts and an orderly for the suspect. One must ask: is this coincidence, or a coordinated effort by a single ethnic group to seize control of state machinery and run it into the ground?
We are told that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew acted alone, forging documents to secure the N1.3 billion allocation from the National Assembly. He opened bank accounts, leased office space in the Federal Secretariat, and operated with impunity for months. Femi Gbajabiamila claims he had no idea who the man was, petitioned security agencies to investigate, and the Presidency labeled him a common con artist. Yet if this was solely one fraudster’s work, it exposes a government and system so broken that a fake agency could receive billions and function in power corridors without any red flags.
The first possibility is the highest conspiracy against Nigeria by a united Yoruba establishment. The President is Yoruba. His Chief of Staff is Yoruba. His spokesperson is Yoruba. The scandal’s central figure is Yoruba. The EFCC chairman who honored him is Yoruba. The Inspector General who approved his escort is Yoruba. The Senate Appropriations Chairman is Yoruba. Is it reasonable to ask if these individuals work in concert to undermine the state? Is it plausible they view Nigeria as a failed project and seek to extract as much as possible before collapse? This conspiracy would place Yoruba men in every critical position, ensuring investigations yield “nothing to see here.”
The photographic evidence of the EFCC chairman presenting an award to Mr. Adeniyi is undeniable. It shows the head of Nigeria’s foremost anti-corruption agency publicly endorsing a man now facing eight-count charges of forgery and impersonation. Is the EFCC chairman complicit, part of the conspiracy, or simply incompetent?
Inspector General approved police escorts and an orderly for Adeniyi during his scam. How does a man forging presidential appointment letters and running a fictitious agency receive such protection? How does someone facing criminal charges get full backing from the Nigeria Police Force? Is this standard treatment for fraudsters, or evidence of a conspiracy to protect one of their own?
The second possibility is not conspiracy but staggering incompetence. Perhaps the Yoruba men in power are simply terrible at their jobs. President Tinubu may have surrounded himself with people unable to detect fraud. Gbajabiamila may be truthful. The EFCC chairman may have genuinely believed he honored a legitimate official. The Inspector General may not have known whom he protected. This could be one big chaotic mess from negligence and lack of oversight.
Yet if incompetence, it remains equally damning. If a fake agency can be created, funded, and operated under the noses of the country’s most powerful figures, what hope exists for Nigeria? If the President, Chief of Staff, spokesperson, EFCC chairman, Inspector General, and Senate Appropriations Chairman cannot detect a fraudster in plain sight, the nation faces deeper trouble than imagined. Conspiracy implies coordination and purpose; incompetence implies chaos and collapse. Which is worse — deliberate destruction or total ineptitude?
Nasir Elrufai, former governor of Kaduna State and prominent northern politician, is denied bail for a bailable offense. Meanwhile, principal actors in the fake agency scandal was arrested, and released like common traffic offender. Is the same Yoruba establishment allegedly united to destroy Nigeria also united to persecute northern politicians while shielding its own? Does selective justice signal a conspiracy to marginalize the north and consolidate Yoruba power?
We are left with two damning possibilities and no third alternative. Either this is a conspiracy of the highest order — Yoruba elites coordinating to seize and ruin Nigeria — or the most spectacular incompetence in the nation’s history. In both cases, the Nigerian people lose. Government institutions appear hollow, corrupt, or both.
The President must answer. The Chief of Staff must answer. The Special Adviser on Information must answer. The EFCC chairman must answer. The Inspector General of Police must answer. The Senate Appropriations Chairman must answer. They must explain how a fake agency was created, funded, and operated under their watch. They must explain the EFCC chairman’s award photograph to a fraudster. They must explain police protection for the culprit during investigation. They must explain Elrufai’s denied bail while suspects walked free. They must clarify if they are united to destroy Nigeria or merely united in incompetence.
The Nigerian people deserve the truth: whether their leaders work for or against them. Either way, Nigeria stands in grave danger. The men entrusted with its safety are either architects of destruction or architects of collapse. There is no third alternative. The question hangs over every Nigerian: are they united to destroy us, or are they just that incompetent?
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]
Abuja Network News
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