- Dismiss allegations against Chief of Staff as baseless
- Say attackers miscalculated the public service record of the CoS
- Demand immediate arrest, prosecution of Prince Matthew, cronies
A powerful coalition of over 350 civil society organisations has robustly defended presidential Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, dismantling recent misconduct allegations as a baseless, orchestrated smear campaign completely devoid of credible evidence, writes JIBRIN NDANUSA.
In a dramatic weekend development that could reshape the current political discourse surrounding the presidency, a powerful coalition of over 350 Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, has robustly thrown its weight behind the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Hakeem Gbajabiamila.
The massive endorsement follows an emergency convocation in the nation’s capital on Friday, where the coalition fiercely dismantled allegations of official misconduct levelled against the Chief of Staff. The groups dismissed the claims as a “calculated smear campaign” entirely devoid of credible evidence.
The controversy stems from allegations made by a certain Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who has reportedly positioned himself as the Director-General of an entity styled as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council cum Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
However, addressing a packed press conference in Abuja, the CSO coalition sought to “set the record straight,” exposing the purported council as entirely non-existent, illegal, and unconstitutional.
The statement was jointly signed by representatives of the participating civil society organisations, including Amb. Philip Okwaggbe, Chairman, COCSO; Amadi Chindi, Initiative for Community Development; Ejiroghene Akporume Ovie, Poverty Alleviation for the Poor Initiative; Chiamaka Chukwuebuka A., Women Centre for Self-Empowerment and Development; Balarabe Muhammadu, Leadership Centre for Peace Intercity and Transformation Initiative; Idongesit Edidiong Etop, Youth Enhancement Development Organization; Josiah Josephine Nanbam, Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Economic Advancement;
Others are Funmilayo Eunice Obadare, Global Youths Awareness Development; Nosakhare E. Ehisogie, Positive Action for Agricultural Produce Initiative; Tamarapreye Ebiowei Godwin, Advocacy Centre for Professional Ethics Values; Adajinege Orahachi, Anticorruption Network for Peace Initiative; Chubado Barkindo Demba, Centre for Agri-Business Support in Nigeria; Abatcha Babakura H., Citizen Centre for Positive Change Initiative; and Adda Manga Peters, Initiative for Transformation of the Under Privileged in Nigeria, alongside other organisations in the coalition.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, the signatories said they had carefully examined the allegations and found them to be unsubstantiated. “We have carefully examined the claims of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and have established that they are completely untruthful,” the communique read. “This is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the unblemished image of the Chief of Staff without a shred of substantive evidence that could stand up to scrutiny.”
The coalition further argued that the antagonist was weaponising the media to whip up public resentment. “Despite briefing sections of the press and claiming intimidation, emotional grandstanding cannot salvage his position. This is a transparent attempt to drag the Chief of Staff into the mire, and we will not stand by and allow it.”
For seasoned watchers of Nigerian politics, Gbajabiamila remains one of the most formidable and decorated public servants of the Fourth Republic. The coalition was quick to contextualise the current attacks against his stellar public service record, notably his transformative tenure as the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives.
As Speaker, Gbajabiamila was widely credited with stabilising Nigeria’s volatile fiscal calendar by successfully restoring the predictable January-to-December budget cycle. His legislative legacy includes pioneering critical interventions for vulnerable Nigerians, such as:
- The Students’ Loan Bill
- The Physically Challenged (Empowerment) Bill
- The Criminalisation of Estimated Billing System Bill
- The Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill
Furthermore, his decisive leadership during the global upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic— championing aggressive social protection bills and welfare packages—cemented his reputation as a progressive lawmaker. Backed by elite executive education from Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, and Oxford’s Saïd Business School, Gbajabiamila is viewed by state actors as an institutional asset.
“An individual with such an impeccable pedigree and unwavering patriotism could never authorise the establishment of an illegal, parallel unconstitutional body,
“We want to state categorically that these claims and allegations by Matthew are baseless. Despite calling sections of the media to brief them and claiming he was being intimidated, such emotions cannot help him because we know he is trying to whip up sentiments to drag the Chief of Staff into the mud with him, and we will not allow that to happen,” the coalition affirmed.
As the weekend protocol activates within the presidency, the coalition has warned that the integrity of the administration must not be compromised by fringe actors seeking cheap notoriety.
In a sharp escalation, the 350 CSOs called upon the nation’s apex security agencies to immediately intervene, demanding the arrest, thorough investigation, and subsequent prosecution of Prince Matthew.
“This matter must not be handled with kid gloves,” the coalition warned in its closing remarks. “The international community is watching Nigeria closely. When the office of the Chief of Staff is targeted with malicious falsehoods, it threatens the stability of our governance architecture. Law enforcement must act swiftly to deter future orchestrations.”
