Fresh revelations have emerged in the House of Representatives’ investigation into the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), with the Accountant-General of the Federation disclosing that a forged State House letter was allegedly used to secure government recognition for the non-existent agency.
The disclosure came during the House committee’s hearing on Monday, where lawmakers also directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to produce the alleged mastermind, Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, before the committee by 12 noon on Wednesday.
The committee is investigating allegations that forged presidential approvals and official government documents were used to establish and operate the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), also referred to as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
Reps Order IGP to Produce Suspect
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, said Adeyemi must appear before lawmakers because of the seriousness of the allegations and their impact on public institutions.
“This committee clearly needs the suspected DG to appear before this committee. People’s names are involved. People’s integrity is involved. Institutional names are involved. Institutional integrity is involved,” Gagdi said.
He added:
“It is not an option now. We will need him here to confirm some documents… to enable us submit our report on time.”
The committee subsequently directed its clerk to formally notify the Inspector-General of Police to produce the suspect on Wednesday.
Police Confirm Ongoing Criminal Case
Representing the IGP, Assistant Commissioner of Police Basir Abdullahi informed lawmakers that the Nigeria Police Force had already filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi before the Federal High Court.
“The Nigerian Police Force investigated part of this case late last year and filed eight-count charges before a Federal High Court. The case is ongoing,” he said.
According to the police, investigations began after petitions from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, accusing Adeyemi of falsely presenting himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC and PEAC.
The police also alleged that the suspect attempted to:
- Secure office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat.
- Recruit about 300 staff.
- Insert ₦1.3 billion into the 2026 Appropriation Act for the alleged non-existent agency.
- Organise a World Investment Summit under the platform of the council.
When lawmakers compared signatures on documents allegedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff with authentic records, the police witness stated:
“They are not the same.”
Rep. Gagdi said investigators have identified about 29 allegedly forged documents, including fake approvals purportedly issued by the State House, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Office of the Head of the Civil Service, Ministry of Finance, and other government institutions.
Accountant-General Explains How PFIPC Got Government Recognition
Also appearing before the committee, Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, explained that his office unknowingly processed requests from the purported council after receiving what appeared to be an authentic State House letter.
According to him, the first correspondence arrived in November 2024, requesting the creation of an administrative code for budgeting, accounting and reporting purposes.
Following standard procedures, the Office of the Accountant-General approved the administrative code and communicated its decision to the State House while copying the Office of the Auditor-General.
The office later received additional requests from the council, including applications for:
- Self-accounting status.
- Staff deployment.
- Treasury Single Account (TSA) and domiciliary accounts.
- Funding approvals.
However, Ogunjimi stressed that no government funds were ever released to the council.
“It is important to note that no funds were released under salaries, overhead, capital, or any form of intervention or special allocation to the council,” he told lawmakers.
He revealed that although the council requested an establishment grant of ₦27.4 billion, the request was never approved because there was no budgetary provision for it.
Forged State House Letter Discovered
One of the biggest revelations during the hearing was Ogunjimi’s confirmation that the letter used to process the administrative code did not originate from the Presidency.
“The letter that was received by the Treasury… was respectfully addressed as coming from the State House. That letter was never issued by the State House,” he disclosed.
Lawmakers described the document as a forged State House letter allegedly used to deceive government agencies into recognising a non-existent institution.
Ogunjimi also explained that two Treasury officers posted to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President years earlier remained there after the office was allegedly taken over by the purported council because the Treasury was never officially informed of any change.
“We never knew. We believed, based on the records available to us, that those officers were still with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser,” he said.
The House committee said its investigation will continue independently while security agencies pursue the criminal case, adding that its final report could recommend further action against anyone found culpable.
