Former Sports Minister Solomon Dalung has faulted the Presidency’s defence of Femi Gbajabiamila, saying its response left key questions unanswered over allegations involving Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
Dalung said the official response by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga failed to explain how a supposedly fake presidential agency allegedly operated within government circles without detection.
He argued that the Presidency’s attempt to clear Gbajabiamila exposed serious gaps in government oversight.
He said officials must explain how an individual allegedly forged an appointment letter, worked from the Federal Secretariat, recruited staff, dealt with government agencies, met diplomats and reportedly obtained a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account.
Dalung questioned reports that the alleged agency appeared in the national budget. He asked who introduced the budget provision, processed it and approved it before lawmakers passed the budget.
Dalung also queried how the alleged agency secured office space inside the Federal Secretariat. He asked which authority approved the allocation and why officials failed to detect the operation earlier.
He urged the government to explain whether investigators carried out an autopsy, coroner’s inquest or forensic review of Tanimola’s communications and financial records.
Dalung noted that the allegations against Adeyemi remain before the court. However, he insisted that accountability should not end with prosecuting one individual.
He said the government must explain how its institutions interacted with, or failed to uncover, what the Presidency now describes as a fictitious agency.
Dalung, however, called on the Presidency to publish documentary evidence, official timelines and government records relating to the alleged agency.
He also demanded details about its reported inclusion in the national budget, its activities at the Federal Secretariat and the failure of institutional safeguards.
External Links
Presidency’s response to the allegations
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
Federal Government of Nigeria
