‘I’m Being Made a Scapegoat’ — PFIPC’s Adeyemi Seeks Permission to Testify Before Reps Panel

Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has appealed to the House of Representatives to grant him administrative clearance to personally testify before its investigative panel examining the activities of the council.

Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, made the request through a statement issued on Sunday by his legal team, led by lawyer Festus Akhigbe.

The legal team argued that any report produced by the House of Representatives without hearing directly from Adeyemi would be incomplete and contrary to the constitutional principle of fair hearing.

According to the statement, Adeyemi is being unfairly portrayed as the sole architect of the controversial agency despite what it described as extensive interactions between the PFIPC and several federal government institutions.

The lawyers insisted that the investigation should focus not only on Adeyemi but also on the roles played by various ministries, departments and agencies that allegedly processed, recognised or engaged with the council.

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

The statement also alleged that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria acted on official documentation to create budget codes, approve self-accounting status, assign civil servants and open operational accounts for the council.

According to the defence, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service approved the council’s establishment structure and recruitment waivers, while the Budget Office and the National Assembly processed documents that resulted in a ₦1.302 billion allocation to the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The legal team further claimed that heads of security agencies attended programmes organised by the council and that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission allocated property to the organisation, requested a processing fee and presented a plaque of recognition to its leadership.

They argued that it would have been impossible for a single individual to mislead multiple government institutions without official backing.

Adeyemi’s lawyers maintained that their client was being made a scapegoat for what they described as institutional failures and administrative lapses, urging the House committee chaired by Yusuf Gagdi to allow him to testify before concluding its investigation.