Fresh revelations have identified several senior government officials and public institutions linked to the controversy surrounding the alleged fraudulent activities of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body the Presidency has since declared non-existent.
An investigation by Premium Times revealed that the alleged scheme involving the council’s self-acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, passed through multiple layers of the Nigerian civil service, with several government offices reportedly processing official requests that enabled the agency to operate as though it were legally established.
Documents reviewed by the newspaper indicated that the PFIPC obtained a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) account, a federal budget code, office accommodation, staff postings and other government privileges ordinarily reserved for recognised ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Although these documents formed part of the Federal Government’s case against Adeyemi, the police investigation reportedly did not interrogate many of the public officials alleged to have processed or approved the documents.
The development has intensified concerns over possible institutional failures, weak internal controls and lapses in verification procedures across key government agencies.
Former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Joe Abah, described the controversy as evidence of serious weaknesses within Nigeria’s public administration.
According to him, regardless of the eventual outcome of investigations, significant questions remain unanswered about how the alleged fraud was able to progress through official government channels.
Presidency Knew Months Before Public Disclaimer
The investigation revealed that by November 2025, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigeria Police Force had reportedly uncovered alleged irregularities surrounding the PFIPC.
Documents showed that in October 2025, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), alleging that Adeyemi had forged official documents.
He also reportedly informed the Minister of Foreign Affairs that the PFIPC was not a recognised government agency after the ministry sought clarification.
On November 5, 2025, Gbajabiamila again wrote to the SGF’s office, formally distancing the Presidency from both Adeyemi and the PFIPC.
Despite those internal communications, a public disclaimer was not issued until June 2026, allowing the controversial agency to continue operating for several more months.
Questions Surround Alleged Appointment Letter
Adeyemi reportedly claimed that his appointment as Director-General was authorised by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila.
However, both the Presidency and the police have maintained that the appointment letter was forged.
Interestingly, the police investigation reportedly acknowledged that investigators had yet to obtain a statement from Gbajabiamila or compare his authentic signature with the one appearing on the disputed document.
A presidential official, quoted anonymously by Premium Times, questioned why investigators had not interviewed the Chief of Staff despite the central role his alleged signature plays in the case.
Gbajabiamila’s aide, Olanrewaju Smart, dismissed the allegation, insisting that appointment letters for political appointees are issued exclusively through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, not the Chief of Staff.
He further argued that Gbajabiamila was the official who first alerted security agencies to the alleged forgery, making suggestions of his involvement illogical.
Budget Office Under Pressure Over Approved Allocation
One of the most controversial aspects of the scandal is how the PFIPC allegedly secured a federal budget code and appeared in the approved 2026 national budget despite later being declared non-existent.
The revelation has triggered demands for explanations from the Budget Office regarding how the agency was captured in official budget documents and who approved its inclusion.
Observers have questioned whether established procedures for creating and verifying government agencies were ignored or circumvented.
OSGF Officials Linked To Correspondence
Documents reportedly showed that Nnamdi Mbaeri, then Permanent Secretary in the General Services Office of the OSGF, signed a letter requesting office accommodation for the PFIPC from properties recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Investigators are expected to determine whether the correspondence was authentic and whether proper verification of the agency’s legal status was conducted before the request was processed.
Another senior official, Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs, also reportedly invited Adeyemi to join Nigeria’s delegation to the Canada-Africa Fintech Summit in 2025.
The invitation has raised questions about how the PFIPC became recognised within official government engagements despite lacking legal establishment.
SGF’s Office Faces Tough Questions
The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, headed by George Akume, has also come under scrutiny.
Although the SGF’s office reportedly never issued an appointment letter to Adeyemi, documents indicate that officials within the office processed requests relating to office accommodation and other administrative matters concerning the PFIPC.
The circumstances under which the office interacted with the controversial agency have become a key aspect of ongoing public debate.
OAGF And CBN Documents Under Scrutiny
Attention has also shifted to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), where officials allegedly processed requests that enabled the PFIPC to operate financial accounts.
According to documents cited by Premium Times, the OAGF requested the opening of dollar and pound sterling domiciliary accounts for the agency at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Responding to that request, Hamisu Abdullahi, Director of Banking Services at the CBN, confirmed that the accounts had been opened and provided their account details.
The process through which the accounts were approved has prompted calls for investigators to establish whether adequate verification and Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures were followed before the accounts were created.
Treasury Officials Approved Self-Accounting Status
Another document reportedly showed that Mulikat Sanni, then Director of Treasury Inspectorate at the OAGF, approved provisional self-accounting status for the PFIPC in March 2025.
Under existing financial regulations, such approval is typically preceded by physical verification of the requesting agency.
Investigators are expected to determine whether such verification took place and identify the officials who conducted it.
In another development, Dauda Abdulhamid, Director of Administration at the OAGF, reportedly authorised the deployment of more than 300 treasury officers across government agencies, including three officers assigned to the PFIPC.
Questions Over Police Investigation
The Nigeria Police Force has also come under criticism over the pace of its investigation and prosecution.
Reports indicate that investigators completed their inquiry in November 2025 and filed charges the same month, yet the first court hearing was not scheduled until July 2026.
The lengthy delay has generated concerns over the handling of a case involving alleged forgery, impersonation and abuse of public institutions.
NITDA Asked To Explain Domain Approval
The controversy also extends to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) after it emerged that the PFIPC operated the government domain pfipc.gov.ng.
WHOIS records reportedly showed that the domain was registered in September 2024 through NITDA’s system before later becoming inactive following the scandal.
Because .gov.ng domains are reserved exclusively for verified government institutions, questions have been raised over the due diligence carried out before approving the registration.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, is expected to explain the verification process that led to the allocation of the government domain to the now-disowned agency.
As investigations continue, the PFIPC controversy has sparked broader calls for a comprehensive review of administrative procedures across government institutions to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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