Fresh documents have raised questions about the Presidency’s claim that the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) never existed.
Records obtained by Saturday PUNCH show that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) received and processed correspondence from the council months before publicly disowning it.
The papers reveal that the SGF’s office formally forwarded a request from PFIPC’s self-styled Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, seeking office space from recovered government properties through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The letter, dated November 21, 2024, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, on behalf of the SGF.
Adeyemi, now facing prosecution, is accused of forging presidential documents, impersonating officials, and operating a fictitious agency with 34 bank accounts. Investigators allege he even held meetings with diplomats under the PFIPC banner.
Despite the Presidency’s insistence that PFIPC was fake, the documents suggest government institutions engaged with the council.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has demanded an independent probe, questioning how the agency allegedly secured budget allocations and opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), have called for the removal of Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, citing institutional decay and possible complicity.
Civil society groups have also urged President Bola Tinubu to order a transparent investigation, warning of protests if no action is taken.
The Presidency, however, maintains Adeyemi was a “con artist” exploiting systemic weaknesses, while promising that internal collaborators who enabled the scheme will be prosecuted.
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