“If one alleged phantom agency could reportedly make its way into the machinery of government, how many other questionable agencies, projects, or budget lines remain hidden from public scrutiny?”
There are scandals.
Then there are scandals that expose the very soul of a nation.
The alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council belongs in the second category.
If the facts alleged by the Presidency are substantially true, this is not merely the story of one man accused of impersonation or fraud. It is the story of institutions that may have failed at every level where they were expected to protect the Nigerian state.
That is why Nigerians must refuse to allow this matter to be reduced to the prosecution of one individual.
According to the Presidency, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew allegedly operated an agency that never legally existed. Yet the alleged agency reportedly occupied office space inside the Federal Secretariat, functioned openly, corresponded with government institutions, interacted with foreign diplomats, and presented itself as a federal establishment.
If these allegations are accurate, then this was not an operation carried out in the shadows.
It allegedly happened in broad daylight.
It allegedly happened within government premises.
It allegedly happened in full view of institutions established to prevent exactly this kind of abuse.
The allegations become even more astonishing.
According to official statements, the suspect allegedly operated 34 bank accounts, including several opened in the names of fictitious government agencies. More troubling still is the allegation that a Central Bank of Nigeria account was opened after forged documents allegedly passed through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
If proven, that should concern every Nigerian.
Because institutions do not fail by accident.
They fail because systems break down—or because people responsible for protecting those systems fail to do their jobs.
Then comes what may be the most disturbing revelation of all.
The alleged phantom agency reportedly appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act, with more than ₦1.3 billion allocated to it.
That single revelation should trigger national outrage.
Budgets are not written by ghosts.
Budget items do not mysteriously appear on the pages of an Appropriation Act.
Someone proposed that allocation.
Someone reviewed it.
Someone defended it.
Someone approved it.
The National Assembly passed it.
The President signed it into law.
If an agency that allegedly had no legal existence found its way into the national budget, Nigerians deserve to know how that happened.
Not next year.
Not after the headlines disappear.
Now.
Then comes another unavoidable question.
Why did it take so long?
If the agency never legally existed, why was it allegedly able to function for months from within the Federal Secretariat?
Why were official correspondences allegedly processed?
Why were meetings reportedly held?
Why were warning signs, if there were any, not detected much earlier?
These are not partisan questions.
They are questions every taxpayer has the right to ask.
Some Nigerians will inevitably believe there is more to this story than has so far been disclosed. That belief reflects the extraordinary nature of the allegations. But suspicion alone is not proof. Only an independent, transparent investigation can establish whether any public officials knowingly enabled, ignored, or benefited from the alleged operation.
That investigation must not stop with one defendant.
If evidence shows that public officials abused their offices, facilitated the alleged scheme, ignored obvious red flags, or failed in duties they were legally bound to perform, then they too must face the consequences.
The law must not recognise sacred cows.
The credibility of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration now rests on one fundamental test.
Will this investigation follow the evidence wherever it leads?
Or will accountability end with the easiest person to prosecute?
That answer will determine whether this administration is remembered for strengthening institutions or merely managing another scandal.
This case should alarm every Nigerian.
If one alleged phantom agency could reportedly make its way into the machinery of government, how many other questionable agencies, projects, or budget lines remain hidden from public scrutiny?
How many billions have disappeared through institutions that exist only on paper?
How many loopholes remain open today?
These questions are bigger than one defendant.
They are questions about the integrity of the Nigerian state.
Foreign investors are watching.
Development partners are watching.
Nigerians are watching.
Confidence in any nation depends not on pretending scandals do not exist, but on confronting them honestly and fearlessly.
This moment calls for more than official statements.
It demands a forensic audit.
It demands independent investigators.
It demands complete transparency.
It demands accountability that follows evidence rather than influence.
Nigeria cannot defeat corruption by prosecuting only those whose names become public while ignoring anyone else whom the evidence may implicate.
Justice that stops at the lowest rung is not justice.
It is public relations.
This newspaper takes no position on the guilt or innocence of any individual before the courts.
That is for the judiciary to determine.
But we take a firm position on something even more important.
The Nigerian people deserve the whole truth.
Every institution connected to this matter must be thoroughly examined.
Every official whose conduct raises legitimate questions must be investigated.
Every person against whom credible evidence exists must be held accountable, regardless of rank, office, or political influence.
Anything less would not merely fail this investigation.
It would fail the nation.
