The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, disclosed on Monday that a forged letter purportedly from the State House misled government authorities into granting official administrative recognition to the so-called Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC). He made the revelation before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the creation and activities of the controversial organization.
Forged Letter Led to Administrative Recognition
Mr Ogunjimi explained that the Treasury first received correspondence regarding the organization in November 2024. A letter dated 7 November 2024, bearing a State House reference number, requested an administrative code for the Presidential Economic Advisory Council to facilitate budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting. Following standard procedures, the Office of the Accountant-General approved the request, created the code, and forwarded the decision to the State House and the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Subsequently, the purported council submitted several additional requests, including applications for self-accounting status, deployment of personnel, opening of Treasury Single Account and domiciliary accounts, as well as funding approval requests. The AGF stressed that while some administrative requests were processed, no government funds were released to the organization.
No Government Funds Released Despite ₦27.4bn Request
“It is important to note that no funds were released under salaries, overhead, capital, or any form of intervention or special allocation to the council,” Mr Ogunjimi told lawmakers. He further disclosed that the council applied for an establishment grant of ₦27.4 billion, but the request was rejected because there was no budgetary provision for such expenditure. Although the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) opened two domiciliary accounts for the organization to receive inflows, the accounts never became operational as the necessary regulatory requirements for activation were not fulfilled.
Forged Document Confirmed by AGF
Lawmakers questioned how the purported agency successfully navigated several layers of government bureaucracy without attracting suspicion. Responding, Mr Ogunjimi revealed that the Treasury had acted on a document it believed originated from the Presidency. “The letter that was received by the Treasury was respectfully addressed as coming from the State House,” he said. “That letter was never issued by the State House.” The disclosure reinforced the committee’s suspicion that forged presidential correspondence had been used to deceive public institutions into processing official requests for an agency that had no legal existence.
Civil Servants Unknowingly Absorbed by Fake Council
The committee also examined how civil servants originally posted to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President later became attached to the purported council. Mr Ogunjimi explained that two officers deployed to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser in 2010 and 2013 remained in the office after the new organization allegedly took it over. He said the Office of the Accountant-General was never formally informed that the officers had been transferred to another entity. “It was never assumed or written to us that those two officers were being taken over. The staff also never reported to the office to say that another council had taken over the office and the name had changed. As far as I was concerned, we were dealing with a new agency, not the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser,” he said.
He further disclosed that the purported council later sought deployment of five additional personnel, but the Treasury approved only three after concluding that the organization did not require the larger number requested. “It was when all this matter came to light that I got to know that two of our staff were actually working or being absorbed by the agency. We never knew. We believed, based on the records available to us, that those officers were still with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser,” he added.
Investigation Continues as Police Produce Suspect
The House committee is investigating allegations that forged presidential approvals, counterfeit State House correspondence, fake Acts of the National Assembly, and other falsified government documents were used to establish and operate both the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The panel has already received evidence from the Nigeria Police Force confirming that criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and fraud have been filed against the prime suspect, Adeyemi Adeniyi, before the Federal High Court.
During Monday’s proceedings, the committee directed the Inspector-General of Police to produce Mr Adeniyi before lawmakers by noon on Wednesday to answer questions relating to the alleged forgery of official government documents and the operations of the purported agency. The committee is expected to conclude its investigation with recommendations on possible administrative, legislative, and criminal measures against individuals found culpable.
