ABUJA: Fresh controversy has enveloped the Presidency following the emergence of official documents that contradict its assertions regarding the non-existence of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC). The newly uncovered records indicate that senior government organs actively engaged with and processed requests from the body months before it was publicly denounced as a fictitious entity.

Institutional Engagement Preceded Public Disclaimer

According to administrative records, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) received, acknowledged, and acted upon formal correspondence submitted under the council’s name. In late November 2024, the General Services Office of the SGF formally processed and forwarded a request from the council's self-styled Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, seeking office accommodation within recovered Federal Government properties via the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The correspondence, bearing official registry stamps from mid-November 2024, was transmitted to the anti-graft agency to facilitate necessary action alongside requests from two other government institutions. In the accompanying documentation, Adeyemi framed the PFIPC as a central investment promotion agency tasked with coordinating foreign direct investment, managing public-private sector interactions, and operating as a one-stop-shop repository across various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

Criminal Prosecution and the Presidency's Defense

The revelation of these documents coincides with the ongoing criminal prosecution of Adeyemi. The Federal Government has arraigned him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on an eight-count charge encompassing conspiracy, forgery, impersonation, and related offenses allegedly committed between 2024 and 2025.

The prosecution alleges that Adeyemi operated a fraudulent agency, fabricated a presidential appointment letter bearing the forged signature of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and operated 34 unauthorized bank accounts—some of which were opened under the guise of government entities. Investigators also noted that Adeyemi conducted high-level diplomatic engagements, including meetings with foreign officials at a luxury hotel in Abuja, and requested visa facilitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs using falsified credentials.

The Presidency has firmly maintained its stance that the PFIPC is entirely fraudulent. Presidential spokespersons have detailed the criminal case against Adeyemi, labeling him a sophisticated con artist attempting to exploit public sensitivities to evade accountability. Administration officials emphasized that while systemic vulnerabilities allowed the scheme to persist initially, the institutional framework successfully identified the anomalies when the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs flagged unauthorized overlapping functions and diplomatic meetings, prompting a formal police investigation.

Evidence Recoveries and Institutional Absence

A physical verification exercise conducted at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja revealed no physical presence, signage, or administrative awareness of the PFIPC among civil servants and security personnel across multiple ministry complexes. Furthermore, digital trails indicate that the council previously operated an official government domain website, which was deactivated in April 2025.

Following surveillance operations, law enforcement agents arrested Adeyemi in late October 2025 at his residence in Niger State, recovering forged appointment letters, official letterheads, and documents featuring presidential insignia. A named accomplice, whom Adeyemi claimed assisted in procuring the forged appointment letter, was subsequently confirmed to have died in an Abuja fire incident.

Escalating Demands for Independent Probes

The development has triggered significant pushback from legal experts, opposition parties, and civil society organizations, who argue that administrative denials are insufficient given the depth of institutional penetration achieved by the council.

• Legal Challenges: Human rights lawyers have questioned how a completely fictitious entity allegedly managed to secure recruitment approvals for over 300 staff positions, interface with the Central Bank of Nigeria, and appear within national budgetary frameworks. Legal experts are calling for an independent investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) rather than relying on internal executive clearances.

• Political Opposition: The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have characterized the situation as a major institutional failure. The parties argue that the extensive administrative footprint of the council points to either severe systemic incompetence or high-level complicity. They have demanded the immediate suspension or removal of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila to ensure an unhindered, impartial investigation by a multi-agency panel.

• Civil Society Coalition: A coalition of civil society organizations has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government, demanding a formal ICPC investigation into the financial activities, central bank accounts, and budgetary allocations tied to the controversy. The coalition emphasized that the integrity of public institutions requires transparent legal scrutiny rather than media exchanges, warning of peaceful protests at the Presidential Villa should the government fail to initiate an independent inquiry.

The Federal Government has listed 11 witnesses, including Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, to testify in the upcoming trial. Concurrently, the Presidency has directed state intelligence and anti-corruption agencies to identify and prosecute internal collaborators within the civil service who enabled the operation to function undetected for months.