Fresh official documents have raised questions over the Presidency's insistence that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) never existed, showing that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) processed and forwarded an official request submitted in the council's name months before it was publicly disowned.
The documents, obtained by *Saturday PUNCH*, reveal that the SGF's office received, acknowledged and acted on a request for office accommodation from Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who identified himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC.
Registry records show Adeyemi's letter, dated November 7, 2024, was received by the SGF's office on November 12 before it was forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on November 21, 2024.
The forwarding letter, signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, on behalf of the SGF, asked the anti-graft agency to take the necessary action on requests for office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties.
The letter, titled *"Request for Office Accommodation,"* identified one of the applications as a request from the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
It stated, **"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."**
In his accompanying letter, Adeyemi presented the PFIPC as a Federal Government agency established to attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria.
He claimed the council served as **"the resource and coordinating centre for the Nation's Foreign Investment Promotion activities"** and functioned as **"a One-Stop-Shop for Investments centre coordinating investment-related activities across ministries, departments and agencies."**
Adeyemi also stated that the council promoted Nigeria as a preferred investment destination, coordinated investment-related activities across government institutions and supported both existing and prospective investors.
The documents surfaced as Adeyemi faces criminal prosecution over allegations that he operated a fictitious government agency, forged presidential appointment documents and falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC.
He is also accused of operating multiple bank accounts, including some allegedly opened in the names of government agencies, and conducting official engagements with diplomats under the banner of the council.
The Presidency has consistently maintained that the PFIPC never existed.
In a statement issued earlier this week, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the PFIPC as a fictitious organisation and outlined the criminal allegations against Adeyemi, including forgery, impersonation and fraud.
Court documents also show that the Federal Government has listed Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, among 11 witnesses expected to testify in the case against Adeyemi.
According to the charge, Adeyemi and two other suspects, who remain at large, are facing an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and operating a fictitious government agency.
One of the charges alleges that Adeyemi forged an appointment letter purportedly issued by President Bola Tinubu and signed by Gbajabiamila.
An interim report by the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit said the investigation began after a petition from the Office of the Chief of Staff raised concerns over forged appointment letters allegedly issued in the Presidency's name.
Police investigators alleged that the forged documents carried falsified signatures, reference numbers and official seals, which were used to create leadership positions in what they described as a non-existent agency.
Investigators further claimed Adeyemi held meetings with Nigerians and foreign diplomats while presenting himself as head of the council and even sought diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate visa applications for individuals he described as members of his staff.
Meanwhile, a visit by *Saturday PUNCH* to the Federal Secretariat in Abuja reportedly found no office belonging to the PFIPC.
Security personnel and civil servants contacted during the visit said they had no knowledge of the agency, while no signpost bearing its name was found within the complex.
Checks also showed that the council previously operated a website on the Federal Government's domain, although it is no longer accessible.
Reacting to the controversy, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said investigators must identify and prosecute government officials who may have enabled the alleged fraud.
"What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled, and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted," Ajayi said.
He added that while there were concerns about institutional failures, the same system eventually detected the alleged fraud after officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised concerns over the council's activities.
The latest documents have intensified public scrutiny over how an organisation now described by the Presidency as fictitious was able to correspond with government institutions and have its request formally processed by the SGF's office before its operations came under investigation.
