Official documents have raised fresh questions over the Presidency’s insistence that the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) never existed.
According to a report by Saturday Punch, the documents show that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) received, acknowledged and processed official correspondence submitted in the council’s name months before the Presidency publicly declared it a fictitious agency.
Among the documents is a letter showing that the OSGF forwarded a request by the council’s self-styled director-general, Adeniyi Adeyemi, seeking office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties managed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The forwarding letter, dated November 21, 2024, was signed by the permanent secretary, General Services Office, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Attached was Adeyemi’s earlier letter dated November 7, 2024, requesting office accommodation for the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
Registry stamps indicate that the OSGF received Adeyemi’s request on November 12 before forwarding it to the EFCC nine days later.
Titled “Request for Office Accommodation,” the SGF’s letter informed the anti-graft agency that three government institutions had applied for office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties.
One of the applications was identified as Reference No. SH/DG/PFIPC/RQ/107, dated November 7, 2024, and submitted by the director-general of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
“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,” the letter read.
In the accompanying request, Adeyemi presented the PFIPC as a Federal Government investment promotion agency charged with attracting foreign direct investment into Nigeria.
He described the council as “the resource and coordinating centre for the Nation’s Foreign Investment Promotion activities” and “a One-Stop-Shop for Investments” responsible for coordinating investment-related activities across ministries, departments and agencies while promoting Nigeria as a preferred investment destination.
According to the letter, the council facilitated interaction between the public and private sectors, engaged in policy advocacy and promoted Nigeria as an attractive destination for foreign investors.
Adeyemi further claimed that the agency liaised with ministries, departments and agencies to compile investment data, serve as the national repository of investment information and coordinate support services for both prospective and existing investors.
He stated that the council’s vision was to make Nigeria the world’s preferred investment destination and that its mission was to identify, promote and facilitate private sector investment capable of creating jobs and improving economic prosperity.
“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 letter added.
The documents surfaced amid the ongoing prosecution of Adeyemi, who is facing charges over his alleged operation of a fictitious government agency.
The Presidency has accused him of forging a presidential appointment letter purportedly issued by the chief of staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the PFIPC, operating multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies and conducting official engagements under the banner of the council, including a meeting with diplomats at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, maintained that the PFIPC never existed.
In the statement titled, “Re: The Matter of Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and the Fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” Onanuga said police investigations established that the agency was fictitious, the appointment letter was forged and Adeyemi falsely held himself out as a government appointee.
However, the newly obtained documents indicate that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation officially received and processed correspondence submitted in the council’s name months before the Presidency publicly disowned the organisation, raising fresh questions about how the purported agency engaged with government institutions before the alleged fraud was uncovered.
