Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew has dropped a bombshell at a press conference, accusing Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, of demanding ₦600 million by proxy and 48% of a massive take-off grant to influence the appointment of the head of a controversial agency whose very existence the Chief of Staff has denied.
The Prince, who claimed his name was dragged into the scandal, rejected any attempt to silence him and demanded an independent investigative panel to probe the matter, describing it as a threat to public trust and the integrity of the 2026 national budget.
“I will rather die as a MAN than to live as a COWARD!!!” Matthew declared emphatically.
He began by wishing Gbajabiamila a happy birthday, framing the press conference as a “birthday gift,” while urging him to come clean on the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
Matthew dismissed the Chief of Staff’s disclaimer distancing the Presidency from the agencies as “derisory.” He pointed to their explicit mention on pages 50 and 51 of the 2026 appropriation budget, questioning how supposedly non-existent bodies secured funding lines, opened multiple accounts (including domiciliary and pound accounts) at the Central Bank of Nigeria, received approval for 314 staff members, and operated from the Federal Secretariat for over a year.
“If Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila… can make such an administrative error by allowing the president to sign a document with fake agency in it, he should possibly resign his appointment nowwwwwww…….,” he said.
The ₦600 Million Allegation
Matthew alleged that the heart of the conflict was a direct demand from the Chief of Staff.
“The major rationale behind the disagreement between myself and the Chief of Staff is because he allegedly requested 48% of the take-off grant (#27,395,510,136) from the same agency which he denies it exists to which I rejected. After he collected a total sum of 400 Million by proxy with remaining balance of 200 Million to secure the said appointment,” he stated.
He further questioned how a non-existent agency could navigate the full budgetary and administrative machinery from the Budget Office and National Assembly to the Office of the Accountant General and the Civil Service without high-level involvement.
Matthew also raised grave security concerns linked to the dispute, calling for investigation into the mysterious death of intermediary Mr. Babatunde Tanimola in a hotel fire in Utako on October 22, 2025, and an assassination attempt on his own life along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on September 7, 2025, during which vital documents and phones were stolen.
He passionately appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to set up an independent panel, including credible civil society and international observers, to investigate Tanimola’s death and the assassination attempts, compel Gbajabiamila to produce all signed official documents for forensic analysis and step aside pending the outcome, review all budgetary references and institutional records and publish findings transparently
“If I am wrong, let an independent process prove it. If Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila is right, let it confirm it,” Matthew said. “Silence will not resolve this matter. Only truth will.”
The fiery press conference has thrown the Presidency into fresh controversy, raising serious questions about accountability, budgetary integrity, and alleged high-level influence peddling. As of press time, neither the Chief of Staff’s office nor the Presidency has issued a response to the latest allegations.
Matthew said he remains ready to cooperate with any lawful inquiry and urged Nigerians, the media, and civil society to demand full transparency.
