PFIPC Scandal: How SGF Requested Office Space For ‘Fake Agency’
Official documents have cast fresh doubt on the Presidency’s insistence that the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council never existed.
The documents, exclusively obtained by Saturday PUNCH, reveal that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation received, acknowledged and acted on correspondence submitted in the council’s name months before the Presidency publicly disowned it.
Specifically, the SGF’s office formally processed and forwarded a request by the council’s self-styled Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, seeking office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The correspondence, dated November 21, 2024, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, on behalf of the SGF.
Attached to it was Adeyemi’s November 7, 2024, request for office accommodation for the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
Registry stamps show the letter was received by the SGF’s office on November 12, before it was forwarded to the anti-graft agency nine days later.
The forwarding letter, titled “Request for Office Accommodation,” informed the EFCC that three government institutions had applied for office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties.
The letter specifically identified one of the requests as Ref. No. SH/DG/PFIPC/RQ/107, dated November 7, 2024, submitted by the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
It stated, “I am directed to forward the attached copies of letters requesting allocation of office accommodation from the recovered Federal Government landed properties for further necessary action.”
In his accompanying letter to the SGF, Adeyemi presented the PFIPC as a Federal Government investment promotion agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment into Nigeria.
He claimed that the council “also serves as the resource and coordinating centre for the Nation’s Foreign Investment Promotion activities – a One-Stop-Shop for Investments centre coordinating investment-related activities across ministries, departments and agencies and promoting Nigeria as a preferred investment destination.”
According to the letter, the council “facilitates the interaction between public and private sectors, and has an active role in policy advocacy and promotes a positive image of Nigeria as a country that is attractive to foreign investors.”
The letter added that the council “liaises with all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to develop, compile and collate data and information, serving as the repository of information on investment opportunities in Nigeria.”
It further stated that “as a one-stop investment centre, it coordinates all actions to ensure that investors, both potential and existing, receive the best possible support from the MDAs.”
Describing its mandate, the letter stated, “The vision of the PFIPC is that Nigeria shall become world’s preferred investment destination while its mission is to identify, promote and facilitate the exploitation of opportunities for private sector investments that will create jobs for, and promote prosperity and the well-being of the People of Nigeria.”
Adeyemi wrote, “The Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) attracts and maximises the flow of foreign direct investments into Nigeria, and encourages existing foreign investors to further expand and develop their businesses.”
The documents have surfaced amid the criminal prosecution of Adeyemi.
READ ALSO
•PFIPC Scandal: Atiku Issues Seven-Day Ultimatum To Tinubu To Order Independent Probe
OSUN DEFENDER reports that Adeyemi is accused of operating a fictitious government agency, forging a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the PFIPC.
It was also alleged that he operated 34 bank accounts, including some opened in the names of purported government agencies, and conducted official engagements, including a meeting with diplomats at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja, under the banner of the council.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, maintained that the PFIPC was fictitious.
According to the statement titled, “Re: The Matter of Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and the Fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” the Presidency outlined the criminal case against Adeyemi, including the police investigation report, the charges filed against him and what it described as his long history of fraudulent conduct.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
Related posts:
PFIPC Scandal: Atiku Issues Seven-Day Ultimatum To Tinubu To Order Independent Probe
Desist From Using My Office To Issue Fake Appointments — SGF Warns
Scandal In Villa: Presidency Confirms Fake DG Secured Office In Federal Secretariat, Met Ministers, Ambassadors
DHQ, SGF’s Office, Interior Ministry, Other Agencies, Ministries Top Debtors’ Lists As Abuja Disco Threatens Disconnection
