By Aliyu Oyewole
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered two additional fake government agencies allegedly linked to Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), as investigations into the alleged fraud continue.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday while presenting the commission’s interim investigation report to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Aliyu said investigations confirmed that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council had no legal status, as it was neither established by an Act of the National Assembly nor through an executive order.
According to the commission, the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was forged, while the fake PFIPC illegally occupied offices and used official materials previously belonging to the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
The ICPC chairman explained that the syndicate operated from the former PEAC office, where it allegedly engaged in impersonation, false representation and other unlawful activities by taking advantage of weaknesses in verification procedures and poor coordination among government institutions.
Aliyu revealed that investigators also uncovered two additional fictitious agencies—the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency.
He said the agencies were created using forged legislative documents and were subsequently used to open bank accounts for illegal financial activities.
According to him, Adeyemi later changed the name of the fake organisation from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in a bid to expand its activities to include revenue generation.
The ICPC also stated that no government funds were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC or the former PEAC, stressing that there was no compromise in the financial systems of the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Based on its interim findings, the commission recommended Adeyemi’s prosecution, disciplinary action against public officials suspected of aiding the operation of the fake agencies, and institutional reforms to strengthen internal controls across government establishments.
The report identified officials from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office of the Federation and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as alleged collaborators in the scheme.
Aliyu, however, noted that investigations remain ongoing.
“The report is interim, and the investigation continues to uncover more details to file criminal charges against Adeyemi and his collaborators,” he said.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had been briefed on the findings and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability and ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice.
The ICPC launched its investigation following concerns over the existence and activities of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, which allegedly presented itself as a federal government agency despite having no legal foundation.
Earlier findings had established that the council was never created by law, while Adeyemi allegedly used forged appointment documents and unlawfully occupied facilities belonging to the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
