*Indicts OSGF, Budget Office, NITDA
*Recommends Adeyemi’s Prosecution, Sanction Of Colluding Public Officers
*Tinubu, Wike, SGF Listed As PFIFC Board Members In Documents Submitted To FRSC
THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered two more alleged fake government agencies during its investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
Speaking on Thursday, August 6, while briefing with State House Correspondents after presenting an interim investigation report to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, said investigators established that the self-acclaimed director general of PFIPC, Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, was never appointed by the Federal Government and the organisation was never created through any law or executive order.
Aliyu stated that the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was allegedly forged, while the PFIPC itself had no legal backing, while it occupied offices and facilities previously used by the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), where it carried out unlawful activities, including false representation and impersonation.
In startling revelation, he said ICPC investigators also discovered two additional fake agencies, FCT Investment Promotion Agency (PIFA) and Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (PIPA), allegedly created using forged legislative documents used to open bank accounts for their illegal operations.
Aliyu said Adeyemi allegedly changed the agency’s name from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and attempted to expand its operations into revenue generation.
The ICPC boss stated that despite the alleged scheme, its investigation found no evidence that government funds were approved or released to the fake agency, while there were no security breaches within the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that enabled its activities.
He explained: “As you may recall, on the 7th of July, Mr. President directed the ICPC to conduct an investigation into the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and submit a report within 30 days.
“Today, exactly within the stipulated period, we have submitted an interim report based on our interactions with all stakeholders involved.”
Aliyu said Tinubu directed the Commission to make its findings public in the interest of transparency and accountability.
He said the investigation found that Adeyemi’s purported appointment letter was forged, noting: “It has been established that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was never appointed by the Federal Government or any authority whatsoever.
“The Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, which sometimes they called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was never established by any law, executive order or any valid instrument of government.
“The appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was completely forged alongside similar documents used to perpetuate the illegal activities of the fake agency.”
Aliyu stated that a purported government gazette used to legitimise the organisation was also fabricated, adding: “If you recall, there was a gazette which he used to support the fake agency. “That gazette is an illegal document that never passed through the processes prescribed by law.
“Our investigation found that the office used by the fake agency was the office of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The office was broken into and access was gained illegally. That was how he was able to operate from there.”
Aliyu also revealed that investigators uncovered two additional fictitious government agencies allegedly created by the suspect, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP), saying fake legislative instruments were used to create the agencies and open bank accounts.
Despite the elaborate scheme, the ICPC chairman said the investigation found no evidence that federal government funds were disbursed to the fake council.
“Our investigation found that no funds of the federal government were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC.
“We also discovered no weaknesses in the systems of the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria during our investigation. The fake appointment letter did not originate from the presidency.
“Our investigation found that some public officers failed to carry out due diligence and failed to comply with standard operating procedures in their ministries and departments. That gave him the opportunity to carry out these illegal acts.”
The investigation, however, identified collaborators from several government institutions, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF); Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOS); Office of the Accountant General; Budget Office; and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
The agency consequently recommended Adeyemi’s prosecution, disciplinary action against public officials that allegedly aided his activities and reforms to strengthen internal controls across government institutions.
While describing the report as, he stressed that investigations were ongoing to uncover more details and prepare criminal charges against all individuals found to have participated in the alleged fraud, adding that the President acknowledged the findings and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
He said: “Our recommendations are that Adeyemi should be prosecuted.
“Secondly, administrative sanctions should be imposed on public officers whose acts of omission and negligence facilitated the illegal operation of the fake agency.
“We also recommended institutional reforms to strengthen internal controls across MDAs to block this kind of illegal activity.”
In a related development, the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating PFIFC on Thursday questioned the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) over its decision to rely on documents listing the President and several top government officials as members of its governing board before issuing it official Federal Government vehicle number plates.
The issue came to light during the appearance of FRSC Corps Marshal/Chief Executive, Shehu Mohammed, before the committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, which had summoned the FRSC to explain how PFIFC obtained official Federal Government vehicle number plates.
While examining documents submitted to the Corps by Adeyemi, Gagdi read portions of the PFIFC’s purported mandate, listing Tinubu, SGF, George Akume, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Minister Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, among other senior government officials as members of its governing board.
The Corps Marshal confirmed that the document were part of the application submitted to the FRSC by PFIFC during its application for official government vehicle number plates.
Gagdi questioned why FRSC did not query inclusion of the President and ministers on the Board of an organisation seeking official recognition, arguing that if FRSC had thoroughly scrutinised the documents, the alleged fraud could have been uncovered before official government number plates were issued.
Mohammed, however, insisted that FRSC followed all established procedures before approving the request, saying immediately the controversy surrounding PFICP emerged, he directed his deputy in charge of Motor Vehicle Administration to investigate whether the Corps had issued government number plates to the council.
According to him: “The next day, he reported that we did and that all due diligence had been carried out. “We immediately documented everything in anticipation that this committee would invite us.”
Mohammed stressed that FRSC remained committed to professionalism, integrity and strict compliance with extant laws in the allocation of official government number plates, adding that under the Corps’ Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), every ministry, department or agency requesting official number plates must submit a formal application, after which the authenticity of the request is verified before payment is made through the Federal Government’s Remita platform.
He explained that where the request comes from a newly established agency, the applicant must also provide the enabling law or instrument establishing the organisation before approval is granted.
He recalled that FRSC first received a letter dated April 4, 2025, originating from PFIFC and signed by Adeyemi, requesting the allocation of official government vehicle number plates, and when the Corps did not immediately act on the request, a reminder dated April 11, 2025, also signed by Adeyemi was submitted, both accompanied by documents purportedly establishing the council, outlining its mandate and listing the vehicles for which number plates were requested.
Mohammed said as part of the verification process, Adeniyi personally visited the FRSC headquarters and presented himself as the council’s director general.
He told the committee that FRSC also visited the website indicated in the correspondence, which carried a Federal Government domain and displayed information suggesting it was a legitimate government institution, adding: “The website contained the names of prominent public office holders as members of its governing board or council, giving every indication that it was an authentic Federal Government agency.”
He added that officials of the Corps also visited the address provided by FIFPC at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Central Business District, Abuja, where they found the office operating at the stated location, further reinforcing the impression that the council was legitimately established.
Mohammed said having completed the verification process, FRSC approved and allocated several official Federal Government vehicle number plates after confirming that the chassis numbers presented matched the respective vehicles, saying: “It, therefore, came as a shock to the Corps when it later emerged that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council was not an approved Federal Government agency and that the representations made by Adeyemi were false.”
Mohammed said FRSC has commenced administrative steps to retrieve all official number plates issued to PFIPC, as well as strengthened its internal verification mechanisms to prevent a recurrence.
