Tanimola: The Deceased Named In Alleged Fake Parastatal Saga

Tanimola is the Yoruba word for ‘Who knows tomorrow?’ And because no one knows tomorrow, Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola probably did not know he would no longer be around when the allegations against him broke the internet. Until this week, the name Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola meant little outside a small circle of associates. But after the Presidency identified the late Tanimola as the man Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi allegedly told investigators helped him obtain the appointment letter as the Director General of the phantom Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) now under scrutiny, attention shifted to the man whose death has left a most critical link beyond the reach of investigators. Among those pictured with him are former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd); billionaire businessmen Tony Elumelu and Abdulsamad Rabiu; three former Inspectors-General of Police—Mike Okiro, Solomon Arase and Kayode Egbetokun— Philanthropist Arthur Eze; Deputy Governor of Lagos and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Engr. Obafemi Hamzat, Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and so on. The photographs, taken at different occasions over time, portray a man who appeared to enjoy access to Nigeria’s political and public leadership. While the images do not, by themselves, suggest any connection between the personalities or show they knew about the activities now under investigation, they have intensified public curiosity about Tanimola’s identity, background and influence. Gbajabiamila had issued a disclaimer, dismissing the existence of the council, but Adeyemi, in a press conference on Thursday, June 25, countered the disclaimer, describing it as “a cloud of public misrepresentation, institutional denial and a deliberate attempt to silence legitimate questions that concern matters of national interest.” He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to set up an independent investigative panel to, among others, compel the Chief of Staff to produce all the official documents he has signed since assumption of office for forensic analysis, review budgetary references and institutional records, investigate alleged assassination attempts on his life and compel Gbajabiamila to step aside pending the outcome of the probe. In a statement on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency tagged Adeyemi a “con artist,” adding that a criminal charge had been filed against him after a police investigation. However, the statement was silent on the inclusion of the disputed council in the 2026 budget with an allocation of N1.3 billion; an alleged sum of N400 million Adeyemi claimed to have paid Gbajabiamila by proxy to facilitate his appointment, with a balance of N200 million, and 48 per cent of the council’s N27 billion take-off grant allegedly demanded by the former Speaker. According to the Presidency, during police interrogation following his arrest in October 2025, Adeyemi allegedly told investigators that Tanimola was the person who helped him procure the appointment letter he relied upon to present himself as Director-General of the purported council. Investigators, however, were unable to question Tanimola. His death has left detectives without the opportunity to question a witness Adeyemi allegedly identified as the source of the controversial appointment letter. The Presidency said police efforts to trace him revealed that he had died in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Utako, Abuja, on October 22, 2025—five days before Adeyemi’s arrest. It added that investigators verified his death through visits to the hospital where his body was deposited, interviews with his relatives, the hotel proprietor and records relating to his burial. Aside from these disclosures, very little has been made public about Tanimola but sources said that he was laid to rest after a funeral service at Saint Mathew Anglican Church, Maitama, Abuja, on November 8, 2025. The Presidency did not disclose his occupation, official affiliation or explain how he allegedly became involved in procuring the disputed appointment letter. Equally unclear is the nature of his relationship with Adeyemi, why Adeyemi identified him during police interrogation, or whether investigators recovered any documentary or digital evidence linking Tanimola to the alleged forgery before his death. Public records also provide little information about him before his name surfaced in the Presidency’s account of the investigation. That information gap has become even more striking with the emergence of photographs showing Tanimola alongside high-profile political leaders and public officials. The images suggest he moved within influential circles and attended events where he had access to prominent personalities. As far as the controversy is concerned, the salient questions are: who exactly was Dolapo Babatund

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