The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has largely revolved around two principal figures — the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to have been appointed Director-General of the council.
However, another name has quietly emerged at the centre of the unfolding dispute: Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, a businessman who died months before the controversy became public.
Tanimola died on October 22, 2025, at the National Hospital, Abuja, after spending nearly two weeks receiving treatment for severe burns sustained in a fire at Kachi Hotel in the Federal Capital Territory.
His name entered the PFIPC controversy after Adeyemi alleged that Tanimola served as the intermediary through whom he communicated with Gbajabiamila and facilitated financial transactions linked to his purported appointment.
Adeyemi claimed he never met the Chief of Staff in person, alleging instead that all communication took place through Tanimola. He further alleged that he paid N400 million through the deceased businessman to facilitate the appointment and later rejected an alleged request for 48 per cent of the council’s proposed N27.4 billion take-off grant.
Gbajabiamila has categorically denied the allegations, maintaining that he neither met Adeyemi nor authorised anyone to collect money on his behalf. He also said he had no knowledge of Tanimola or the alleged transactions.
The Presidency has similarly distanced itself from the PFIPC, describing it as a non-existent body without legal backing. Gbajabiamila has since threatened legal action, demanding N10 billion in damages over what he described as defamatory allegations.
Tanimola’s Final Days
Several months before the PFIPC controversy gained public attention, Tanimola was fighting for his life following the hotel fire.
According to a source familiar with the incident, the 42-year-old was asleep in his room at Kachi Hotel in Utako, Abuja, in the early hours of October 9, 2025, when smoke filled the building.
The source said Tanimola attempted to escape as guests fled the burning structure but was allegedly pushed during the rush, causing him to fall and sustain extensive burns.
Despite suffering burns reportedly covering more than half of his body, Tanimola was said to have managed to leave the building, flagged down a commercial tricycle and made his way to the National Hospital’s Trauma Centre, where he remained on admission until his death on October 22.
“He was admitted after suffering severe burns. Before he died, he reportedly recounted that he woke up after noticing smoke in his room, but while trying to escape, someone pushed him and he fell,” the source said.
Another source claimed that unidentified men later visited Tanimola in hospital and proposed moving him to a medical facility in Minna, Niger State. According to the source, the family declined the request.
These claims have not been independently verified.
Fire Investigation
The Federal Fire Service confirmed that firefighters responded to a major fire outbreak in Utako during the same period.
In a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer, DCF P.O. Abraham, the agency said firefighters promptly responded after receiving a distress call from a resident and found the building engulfed in flames.
The agency said the cause of the fire remained under investigation and has not publicly released a final report detailing how the incident occurred or identifying the affected hotel.
Visits to locations associated with Kachi Hotel in Abuja showed that one of the properties had since been demolished. A security guard at the site confirmed it had previously operated as Kachi Hotel and Suites before demolition commenced.
Officials at the National Hospital also confirmed that Tanimola died at the facility on October 22, 2025.
A Familiar Face in Elite Circles
Photographs available online show Tanimola in the company of several prominent Nigerians, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd), business leaders Tony Elumelu and Abdulsamad Rabiu, former Inspectors-General of Police Mike Okiro, Solomon Arase and Kayode Egbetokun, philanthropist Arthur Eze and Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.
Those who knew him described him as someone who connected people in government and business, a role commonly associated with intermediaries and facilitators.
Questions Remain
Nearly nine months after the hotel fire, questions surrounding Tanimola’s death remain unanswered.
No publicly available investigation has established the cause of the fire or determined whether it was accidental or the result of foul play. Likewise, there has been no official confirmation of the allegation that he was pushed while escaping the burning building.
Although Tanimola’s name has become central to the PFIPC controversy because of Adeyemi’s allegations, no independent evidence has publicly substantiated the claims linking him to any financial transactions or official appointments.
For now, one fact remains undisputed: Tanimola died before the PFIPC controversy erupted into public view, leaving many of the questions surrounding his alleged role unanswered as investigations and legal disputes continue.