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| L-R Chief Of Staff To President Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila and Adeniyi Adeyemi |
Nigerian journalist Rufai Oseni has criticised President Bola Tinubu's directive to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate allegations surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) and its self-acclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, describing the move as an attempt to distract Nigerians.
Naija Brain reports that Oseni, speaking on ARISE Television's The Morning Show on Wednesday, dismissed the planned probe as "the greatest joke of the century," insisting that it would not produce any meaningful outcome because the Presidency had already taken a position on the matter.
The broadcaster argued that the Presidency's initial reaction to the controversy had effectively cleared the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, thereby undermining the credibility and independence of any subsequent investigation.
According to Oseni, the Presidency's stance had already signalled its preferred outcome, making it unlikely that the ICPC would conduct an investigation capable of implicating individuals close to the government.
"The Presidency calling for an investigation into the Adeyemi saga, I laugh. That's the greatest joke of the century. Nothing, hold me here, will come out of the investigation. It's just another way to deceive and distract Nigerians," he said.
Questioning the basis of the probe, Oseni noted that the Presidency's first statement on the matter had already exonerated Gbajabiamila, arguing that such a position compromised the integrity of any investigation launched afterward.
He further expressed scepticism that the anti-graft agency would pursue findings that could embarrass the government, citing what he described as a pattern of selective accountability in the country.
Oseni also referenced unresolved controversies, including the reported aircraft incident in which, according to him, authorities have yet to disclose the passenger manifest, as an example of perceived lack of transparency.
He maintained that every individual mentioned in the PFIPC controversy should appear before an investigative panel, stressing that no one had been declared guilty but that due process should be allowed to take its course.
"We are going to see whether they are going to unravel anything. As far as I'm concerned, is it not Nigeria? Forget all of this," he added.