How PFIPC Was Created — Accountant-General

The House of Representatives Committee probing the alleged operations of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to produce the alleged mastermind of the organisation, Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, before the committee by noon on Wednesday.

The directive came after the Nigeria Police Force confirmed parts of its ongoing investigation into the alleged activities of the PFIPC, also known as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), and disclosed that the suspect is already facing criminal charges.

At the same hearing, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, told lawmakers that a forged letter falsely presented as an official communication from the State House was used to obtain government recognition for the alleged agency.

Committee Chairman Yusuf Gagdi said Adeyemi’s appearance had become necessary because the allegations involve the credibility of public institutions and senior government officials.

He said the committee needed the suspect to clarify documents already before lawmakers without affecting ongoing investigations, adding that the committee clerk had been directed to formally notify the Inspector-General of Police to produce him on Wednesday.

Representing the police, Assistant Commissioner of Police Basir Abdullahi informed the committee that investigators had already filed an eight-count charge against Adeyemi before the Federal High Court.

He said the suspect had been arrested and arraigned, noting that the police would not disclose details capable of affecting the ongoing court proceedings or criminal investigation.

The police confirmed that the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President petitioned security agencies on October 17, 2025, alleging that Adeyemi falsely presented himself as Director-General of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

According to the police, the suspect allegedly used the offices to secure accommodation at the Federal Secretariat, sought approval to recruit about 300 workers, attempted to insert about ₦1.3 billion into the 2026 Appropriation Act for the non-existent agency and planned a World Investment Summit under its platform.

During the hearing, lawmakers compared signatures on documents allegedly issued from the Office of the Chief of Staff with authentic records provided by the police.

The police witness confirmed that the signatures did not match.

Following the comparison, Gagdi said investigators were no longer dealing only with a suspected forged letter but with several documents, including what appeared to be a fake Act of the National Assembly allegedly created to establish the agency.

He disclosed that investigators had identified about 29 suspected forged documents bearing the names of institutions such as the State House, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Ministry of Finance and other government agencies.

According to him, several of the institutions had already appeared before the committee and denied issuing the documents attributed to them.

Gagdi added that the House would continue its independent investigation while avoiding actions that could interfere with the ongoing police investigation, noting that its final report could recommend additional action by security agencies.

Meanwhile, the Accountant-General of the Federation explained how his office processed requests from the alleged agency after receiving what appeared to be a valid State House letter.

Ogunjimi said the Office of the Accountant-General first received a letter dated November 7, 2024, requesting the creation of an administrative code for the Presidential Economic Advisory Council to enable budgeting, accounting and financial reporting.

Believing the document to be genuine, the Treasury created the administrative code and notified the State House, while copying the Office of the Auditor-General.

He said the office later received additional requests from the council, including applications for self-accounting status, staff deployment, Treasury Single Account (TSA) facilities, domiciliary accounts and funding approvals.

However, Ogunjimi told lawmakers that despite processing some administrative requests, no government funds were released to the organisation.

He revealed that the council had requested an establishment grant of ₦27.4 billion, but the request was rejected because there was no budgetary provision for it.

He also disclosed that although the Central Bank of Nigeria opened two domiciliary accounts for the council, the accounts never became operational because the required regulatory conditions were not met.

Responding to questions from lawmakers, Ogunjimi disclosed that investigations later confirmed the letter used to obtain the administrative code did not originate from the State House.

He said the correspondence had been presented as an official State House document but was later discovered to be fraudulent.

The revelation prompted members of the committee to describe the letter as one that had been used to deceive government institutions into recognising a non-existent agency.

The Accountant-General also explained that two Treasury staff originally deployed to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser in 2010 and 2013 remained there after the office was allegedly taken over by the purported council because his office was never informed of any change.

He said Treasury records continued to show that the officers were still attached to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser.

Ogunjimi added that when the council later requested five additional staff members, only three were approved because officials considered the organisation too small to require the number requested.

He said it was only after the controversy emerged that his office realised the two Treasury officers had been working under the alleged agency without its knowledge.

The hearing is part of the House investigation into allegations that forged presidential approvals, State House correspondence and other government documents were used to establish and operate the purported Presidential Economic Advisory Council.

The committee had earlier received confirmation from the Nigeria Police Force that criminal charges involving conspiracy and fraud had already been filed against Adeyemi.