The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has uncovered fresh discrepancies surrounding the establishment of the agency, with the State House denying any involvement in its creation or the request for a budget code from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
At an investigative hearing held on Thursday at the National Assembly, the Director of Administration in the State House, Abdulkadri Idris, representing the Permanent Secretary, told lawmakers that the Presidency neither established the PFIPC nor communicated with the Accountant-General regarding its registration or budgetary allocation.
“We did not send any correspondence or request to the Office of the Accountant-General concerning this council. We only became aware of its existence through media reports,” Idris stated.
He further dismissed documents allegedly originating from the Presidency as forged, stressing that no official named Akande Adewale had ever served as Director of Administration in the State House. Idris also clarified that there is no department known as the Directorate of Administration and Support Services, as referenced in the disputed documents.
To support its position, the State House submitted authentic letterheads and an official list of Directors of Administration dating back to 2003, which had earlier been provided to the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre.
Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, described the revelations as a major breakthrough in the investigation. He noted that the evidence exposed significant contradictions between documents obtained from the Accountant-General’s Office and those presented by the State House.
According to Gagdi, the Accountant-General responded to correspondence purportedly issued by a department that does not exist, while the alleged signatory’s name was absent from official State House records.
The State House also denied issuing any appointment letter to the purported Director-General of the PFIPC, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, explaining that appointments into such positions are processed exclusively through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) defended its decision to issue seven Official Federal Government vehicle number plates to the council.
In a memorandum signed by Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed, the FRSC explained that it acted based on official documents submitted by the council in April 2025, including a request signed by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, supporting documents outlining the council’s mandate, and details of the vehicles to be registered.
The committee continues its investigation to determine how the PFIPC allegedly gained recognition within government administrative and budgetary processes, including its reported inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, despite questions surrounding its legal status.
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