News
Adeniyi reveals how ‘PFIPC’ entered 2026 budget
Adeniyi denied implicating the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, insisting he had never met him in person.
•Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi
The embattled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, has revealed that he personally lobbied officials of the Budget Office to secure the inclusion of the controversial agency in the 2026 Federal Government budget.
Adeniyi made the claim in an interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a video released on Instagram after his arrest.
The alleged agency, which the Federal Government has described as non-existent, was allocated about ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, triggering widespread controversy and ongoing investigations.
In the interview, Adeniyi denied implicating the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, insisting he had never met him in person.
According to him, he first approached the Budget Office in December 2024 to seek the agency’s inclusion in the 2025 budget but was informed that the appropriation process had already closed.
” I submitted the letter and everything I wanted, but I was told it was already late,” he said.
He claimed officials later advised him that the proposal would instead be considered for the 2026 budget and that he maintained contact with them throughout the process.
Adeniyi further alleged that a female official introduced him to the Director-General of the Budget Office, who later referred him to another senior official to continue discussions on the proposal.
He maintained that although efforts were made to include the agency in the 2025 budget, it was eventually deferred to the 2026 appropriation.Asked whether he paid any official to facilitate the process, Adeniyi denied offering bribes, saying he only promised to assist with employment opportunities once the agency became operational.“I did not pay anybody. The only thing I promised was that if I started employing people, I could help them with employment opportunities,” he said.
Source: The Star
A new documentary on the life and political struggle of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola is set to premiere in Nigerian cinemas in October.
Titled MKO, the 108-minute film is directed by Ose Oyamendan and produced with American documentary filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris. It explores the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, widely regarded as free and fair, Abiola’s subsequent detention, and the controversial circumstances surrounding his death in custody in 1998.
The documentary features interviews with key figures including former military rulers Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, Abiola’s running mate Baba Gana Kingibe, members of the Abiola family, journalists, and diplomats.
Oyamendan, who worked as a young journalist during the June 12 crisis, has described the film as an investigative documentary that examines Nigeria’s unfinished democratic journey. It had its world premiere earlier this year at the Sheffield DocFest in the United Kingdom.
The Nigerian cinema release is scheduled for early October, with some reports linking the premiere to Independence Day on October 1.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results of underage candidates for viewing.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the Board’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB defined an underage candidate for the 2026 admission exercise as any candidate who will be less than 16 years old as at September 30, 2026.
Benjamin said the results were released primarily to enable candidates and their parents or guardians to know their performance in the examination. However, he stressed that the release does not confer eligibility for admission on all underage candidates.
According to him, the results cannot be used for admission or any other official purpose, except by candidates who satisfy the stringent requirements prescribed for exceptionally performing underage candidates.
Candidates can check their results by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 using the same SIM card with which they registered for the UTME.
JAMB reiterated that only underage candidates who demonstrate exceptional academic ability and maturity will be considered for admission through a rigorous, multi-stage assessment process. Key requirements include a minimum UTME score of 320, at least 80 per cent performance in relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) subjects where applicable, satisfaction of the Post-UTME requirements of their chosen institutions, and a final assessment conducted by experts.
Veteran journalist Mr. Ohi Odiai and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Ohi-Odiai, today mark their 17th wedding anniversary, a milestone that highlights an enduring partnership built on mutual support, professional excellence, and family.
Mr. Odiai serves as Deputy Head of News at Arise News TV, one of Nigeria’s leading television networks. He is also the CEO and Chief Editor of Ohibaba.Com, the online news platform he founded and continues to steer as a key voice in digital journalism. His career spans years of impactful reporting, newsroom leadership, and media innovation.
Mrs. Elizabeth Ohi-Odiai is the owner and founder of Bukbeth Concepts Classic, a business reflecting her entrepreneurial drive and creative vision. Together, the couple has built a home grounded in shared values and quiet strength.
The family is blessed with three children — two boys and a girl — who form the heart of their journey.
Friends, colleagues, and well-wishers describe the Odiais as a model of resilience and partnership in both public and private life.
As they celebrate 17 years of marriage today, September 5, 2026, the couple is receiving warm congratulations from across the media and business communities. Their story stands as a reminder that lasting unions thrive on commitment, respect, and the everyday work of building a life together.
Happy anniversary to Mr. Ohi Odiai and Mrs. Elizabeth Ohi-Odiai.
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