The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PFIPC, failed to sit yesterday as scheduled, despite adjourning its last investigative hearing to August 12 for the continuation of the probe.

Journalists and other stakeholders who were expecting the committee to proceed with its scheduled proceedings were left without an explanation as the hearing did not take place.

At press time yesterday, neither the committee nor its chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, had issued a statement explaining why the sitting did not hold or whether the hearing had been postponed to another date.

The development came at a critical stage of the investigation, with the committee earlier announcing that it would reconvene on Wednesday to invite relevant government agencies and stakeholders for what was expected to be the concluding phase of its public hearing.

Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, had, at the end of the committee’s previous sitting, announced that the panel would reconvene on Wednesday, August 12, with relevant agencies expected to appear before it.

The committee had indicated that the session could be its final public hearing before members begin compiling their findings and recommendations.

The failure of the committee to sit as scheduled is coming against the backdrop of mounting public interest in the investigation and fresh developments surrounding the alleged fake agency.

How the controversy started

The controversy centres on the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, an organisation which allegedly operated as a federal government agency despite not having been established by law, executive order or any other valid government instrument.

The issue became public after questions were raised over the inclusion of the purported council in the 2026 Appropriation Act, with a budgetary provision of about N1.3 billion allocated to it.

The House subsequently constituted a 12-member Ad hoc Committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, to investigate how an organisation that allegedly had no legal foundation found its way into the federal government’s budget and how it was able to operate within government structures.

The investigation has since widened beyond the budget allocation to include the alleged use of forged government documents, the acquisition of office space, the use of government vehicle number plates and attempts to obtain recognition from several Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.

Forged documents uncovered

One of the major revelations before the committee was the discovery of allegedly forged documents purportedly emanating from several government institutions.

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, told the committee that his office acted on a letter purportedly originating from the State House when it processed a budget code for the council.

However, he later told lawmakers that the letter did not originate from the Presidency.

“The letter that was received by the Treasury was respectfully addressed as coming from the State House. That letter was never issued by the State House,” Ogunjimi said.

The committee subsequently disclosed that it had uncovered about 29 allegedly forged official documents linked to the operations of the purported agency.

The documents were said to have been traced to institutions, including the State House, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, also admitted before the panel that due diligence was not sufficiently conducted in the process through which documents relating to the purported agency were considered.

The committee chairman subsequently described the purported appointment letter of the alleged Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, as fake.

“It was established that the so-called letter of appointment was fake, confirmed by different agencies, and the Act presented to the Head of Service was equally fake, forged by the DG; it was established,” Gagdi said.

Adeyemi’s appearance remains a major issue

A major unresolved aspect of the probe has been the committee’s inability to publicly question Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the purported council.

The committee had earlier ordered the Inspector-General of Police to produce Adeyemi before it within 48 hours, saying his testimony was important to resolving several outstanding questions surrounding the documents and activities of the organisation.

The police, however, informed the committee that Adeyemi was being held pursuant to a court order and could not simply be released to appear before the lawmakers without appropriate judicial authorisation. (Vanguard)