Prince Matthew Adeniyi Adeyemi, the “director-general” of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), said something mouth-watering shortly before he was arrested and flown to Abuja: that he took a loan of N400 million to pay a bribe to secure the appointment and that his creditors have reported him to the EFCC. The briber did not name the bribee — presumably for legal reasons — but this claim adds yet another layer to the storm surrounding the PFIPC, which was assigned an office at the Federal Secretariat, got an allocation of N1.3 billion in the 2026 federal budget, and received a waiver from the office of the head of service to recruit 300 members of staff. The PFIPC has now been officially described by the federal government as “fake” (what a grievous self-indictment and international embarrassment). Adeniyi is now known as “self-styled DG” of a “fake agency”. I am very much aware that this case is now in court. Adeniyi is charged with forgery and impersonation. I am, therefore, constrained in the extent to which I can comment on this saga. All I can say is that Adeniyi and his entire packaging never inspired me at any point in time. A simple glance at him from head to toe sets off alarm bells in my head. But, if the truth be told, that is also how I feel about many of our legislators. Adeniyi would fit perfectly into the National Assembly. What I would like to comment on today is the bribe-for-appointment saga. I have been hearing rumours that appointments are sold and bought in Abuja. I was once told that many aspiring appointees bribe to get on the lucky list and may also have to pay another bribe to be made chairman, DG or executive secretary (ES). While I do not dispute the rumours because I know anything is possible in my dearly beloved country, I have hardly heard anyone come out to openly declare that they paid a bribe to be appointed. Likewise, nobody has ever confessed to me in private that they paid a bribe to get a position. So, I file everything under “juicy but unconfirmed rumours”. However, sometime in 2021, a friend came to me for advice. She is a Nigerian patriot and someone I respect for her intellect and diligence. She was interested in heading a federal agency which she believes would allow her to contribute her quota to national development. She was nominated by her governor. But there was a problem: someone took her to a “committee” sitting somewhere in Abuja for “vetting” and she was asked to pay N25 million for her name to make the final list to be sent to President Muhammadu Buhari. She said the committee seemed to be genuine, so she asked for my opinion on what to do. I told her bribing to serve her country was “anathema” and improper. Although she took my advice, she was still convinced that those guys were not scammers. They told her they had just finalised a set of appointments for an agency and that announcements would be made the following day. To my friend’s shock, it happened as they told her. This was what convinced her that those guys were not playing games. What she did not know was that there are scammers who trade in information — and it is such accuracy that gives them the “legitimacy” to scam desperate Nigerians. This is not to make light of legitimate allegations that people actually pay to get appointments, but the point here is that these scammers may also have access to inside information. One case even went to court. In October 2023, Senator Andy Uba was charged to court by the police over allegations that he collected N400 million (that figure again) from Mr George Uboh in 2022 with a promise to make him the managing director of the extremely juicy Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Uba was charged to a federal high court alongside Mr Benjamin Etu and Hajiya Fatima. In November 2025, the police suddenly terminated the case, informing the court that the parties “have resolved and settled all disputes, claims, and liabilities arising from or connected with the transaction”. In other words, bribery is “dispute” and extortion is “transaction”. Well done, guys. Many moons ago, I was told of a presidential aide who was privileged to see the list of ministerial nominees in advance. He immediately developed a plan. He called some of the nominees to inform them that their names were on the list but that they were about to be dropped because of intrigues. He told them he would do his best to persuade the president to ignore the “powerful interests” and go ahead to appoint them. It goes without saying that this would require them to “shake body” for the favour to be granted. When those ones eventually became ministers, they became beholden to him and treated him “very well”. People started calling him the most influential presidential aide. I am genuinely not bothered about those who have been scammed into paying bribes to secure appointments. Why? If you truly wa
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