PFIPC scandal: US lobbying firm offers to help DG seek asylum
A United States lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has said it is prepared to assist the embattled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi, in seeking asylum in the United States while also urging American authorities to investigate allegations he has made against senior Nigerian government officials.
The development follows a series of posts published over the weekend and on Monday by Dr Von Batten, who said his team had been in contact with Adeyemi and was taking steps to brief members of the US Congress and other agencies on the allegations.
In a post shared on Saturday via X, Von Batten had said: “To anyone in contact with Mr Adeyemi, we are very interested in speaking with him. We are prepared to assist Mr Adeyemi in seeking asylum in the United States and requesting whistleblower protection,” he wrote.
He added that because the United States is the largest shareholder in the World Bank, any credible allegations involving World Bank-funded projects in Nigeria would be of interest to American authorities.
“Because World Bank Group funds reportedly form part of Nigeria’s national budget, and the United States is the World Bank’s largest shareholder, any credible allegations involving those funds would be of significant interest to U.S. authorities,” he stated.
Von Batten also warned that if any harm came to Adeyemi, his team would demand a full investigation and accountability.
In another post on Monday, Von Batten said he had spoken directly with Adeyemi and considered him “sincere and credible,” adding that the allegations deserved investigation by multiple US institutions.
“This is Dr Von Batten. I just spoke with Mr Adeyemi. I found him to be sincere and credible. Based on our discussion, I believe his allegations warrant an investigation by Congress, State Department, US Treasury, USGAO, and other relevant US agencies due to the alleged misappropriation of US-funded World Bank loans by senior members of the Nigerian government,” he wrote.
He further claimed that he had already briefed senior members of US President Donald Trump’s team over the weekend and that congressional briefings would begin this week.
“This past weekend, I briefed senior members of President DonaldTrump’s team on these allegations, and our team will begin briefing Members of Congress this week,” he said.
Culled from Vanguard
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