Presidency identifies forged letterhead error in fake agency scandal

Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, has explained how a forged appointment letter allegedly used to establish a fake federal agency was exposed, pointing to an unusual telephone number printed on what was presented as an official State House letterhead.

Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, Ajayi addressed the controversy surrounding the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, an organisation the Presidency has publicly distanced itself from.

According to him, the inclusion of a telephone number on the purported State House letterhead immediately raised suspicion because authentic letterheads issued by the Presidency do not contain such information.

“On the genuine State House letterhead, there is no contact telephone number. On the purported appointment letter, however, there is one.”

Ajayi said anyone conversant with the operations of the Presidency would have recognised the document as fraudulent.

“So anybody who understands how the system works will know this is a pure scam and a forged document.”

He also dismissed claims that the office of the Chief of Staff could issue appointments into government agencies, stressing that such authority rests solely with the President.

“You have been covering the State House for a number of years, and we all know that the Chief of Staff does not make appointments. It is the President who makes appointments into agencies or extra-ministerial positions.”

Explaining the official process, Ajayi said the Chief of Staff merely communicates the President’s decision to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, whose office is responsible for issuing appointment letters.

“What the Chief of Staff does is convey the President’s approval to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, informing them that the President has approved or made a particular appointment. It is the office of the SGF that issues the appointment letter to appointees.”

He added that the alleged appointment letter was inconsistent with established procedures.

“So, procedurally, it is even wrong for anyone to go about brandishing a letter of appointment originating from the office of the Chief of Staff. That is the first red flag.”

When asked whether officials within government institutions could have assisted the suspect, Ajayi said the possibility could not be dismissed.

“Well, it’s not impossible, because even the audacity to go and operate inside the government’s federal secretariat is enough to suggest that something could have gone wrong at some point.”

The man at the centre of the case, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is facing an eight-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The charges include conspiracy, forgery and impersonation. He is standing trial alongside two other suspects, identified as Femi and Anu, who remain at large.

Adeyemi was arrested on 27 October 2025 at an office within the Federal Secretariat Complex following petitions submitted to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police over the alleged scheme.