Fake Agency Scandal: Controversial DG Fights Back, Fingers More MDAs

The self-acclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has rejected allegations that he solely created the disputed agency, insisting that several federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) officially recognised and engaged with the council.

Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, made the claims through a statement issued on Sunday by his legal defence team, led by Festus Akhigbe. The lawyers also demanded that the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the council allow him to appear and defend himself.

According to the defence team, denying Adeyemi the opportunity to testify before the committee would amount to a violation of his constitutional right to a fair hearing.

The lawyers argued that their client should not be portrayed as the lone architect of the agency, claiming that several government institutions processed documents, approved requests or interacted with the council in official capacities.

They alleged that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation acknowledged documents relating to the council and facilitated office allocation within the Federal Secretariat.

The statement further claimed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria acted on official documentation by issuing administrative budget codes, granting self-accounting status, posting civil servants to the council and opening operational accounts.

According to the defence, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation also approved the council’s organisational structure and granted recruitment waivers that enabled the engagement of 314 personnel.

The legal team additionally alleged that heads of security agencies attended events organised by the council, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission allocated a property to the organisation, requested processing fees and presented a plaque of recognition to its leadership.

They maintained that it would have been impossible for one individual to mislead numerous government institutions without official approval or institutional support.

Describing Adeyemi as a scapegoat, the lawyers called for a wider investigation involving civil society organisations, legal experts and independent observers to examine the complete paper trail across all MDAs connected with the council.

The controversy follows ongoing investigations by the House of Representatives. During the hearings, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, admitted that her office failed to conduct adequate due diligence before approving recruitment requests linked to the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.