Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has revealed that he was among those allegedly misled by officials of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), saying he unknowingly granted them access after receiving what appeared to be an official communication from the Presidency.
Kalu made the disclosure on Wednesday during plenary while supporting a motion seeking a full investigation into the activities of the purported council, which has since been disowned by the Presidency.
According to him, the group presented official-looking documents that appeared genuine, making it difficult to immediately question their authenticity.
“I was a victim of this crime,” Kalu said.
“And I’m sure if you watched the news, you saw my picture all over the screen. My picture was made the trend, standing side by side with the purported DG of this organisation.”
The Deputy Speaker explained that his office received a letter dated May 2, 2025, bearing the Presidency’s logo and the name of the disputed council.
He said the letter contained an office address at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and used the domain name pfipc.gov.ng, making it appear legitimate.
Kalu disclosed that he instructed members of his team to verify the address before approving a meeting with the delegation.
“When I saw this, it was a bit confusing for me. Some of the information looked credible, some did not,” he said.
“I sent my team to verify the existence of this organisation at the stated address. They came back confirming that the organisation was there. I then approved the meeting.”
According to him, the delegation initially requested discussions on constitutional amendment, economic governance, legislative priorities and attracting foreign investment.
However, he said the meeting took an unexpected turn when the visitors became more interested in taking photographs than discussing the issues outlined in their proposal.
“When they came, they did not talk about the constitutional amendment or the issues they listed in the letter. They were more about photo taking,” he said.
Kalu said the incident exposed how official-looking documents and government office addresses could easily mislead public officials.
“This goes to show that a beautiful letterhead carrying the Presidency is no longer confirmation that an agency is legal,” he added.
He urged lawmakers to support a thorough investigation to uncover how the purported organisation gained access to government offices, interacted with top officials and allegedly secured a place in the federal budget.
Source: House of Representatives
