How SGF requested office space for ‘fake agency’

Official documents exclusively obtained by Saturday PUNCH have cast fresh doubt on the Presidency’s insistence that the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council never existed.

The documents reveal that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation received, acknowledged and acted on correspondence submitted in the council’s name months before the Presidency publicly disowned it.

Specifically, the SGF’s office formally processed and forwarded a request by the council’s self-styled Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, seeking office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The correspondence, dated November 21, 2024, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, on behalf of the SGF.

Attached to it was Adeyemi’s November 7, 2024, request for office accommodation for the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

Registry stamps show the letter was received by the SGF’s office on November 12 before it was forwarded to the anti-graft agency nine days later.

The forwarding letter, titled “Request for Office Accommodation,” informed the EFCC that three government institutions had applied for office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties.

The letter specifically identified one of the requests as Ref. No. SH/DG/PFIPC/RQ/107, dated November 7, 2024, submitted by 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 to the SGF, Adeyemi presented the PFIPC as a Federal Government investment promotion agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment into Nigeria.

He claimed that the council “also serves as the resource and coordinating centre for the Nation’s Foreign Investment Promotion activities – a One-Stop-Shop for Investments centre coordinating investment-related activities across ministries, departments and agencies and promoting Nigeria as a preferred investment destination.”

According to the letter, the council “facilitates the interaction between public and private sectors, and has an active role in policy advocacy and promotes a positive image of Nigeria as a country that is attractive to foreign investors.”

The letter added that the council “liaises with all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to develop, compile and collate data and information, serving as the repository of information on investment opportunities in Nigeria.”

It further stated that “as a one-stop investment centre, it coordinates all actions to ensure that investors, both potential and existing, receive the best possible support from the MDAs.”

Describing its mandate, the letter stated, “The vision of the PFIPC is that Nigeria shall become world’s preferred investment destination while its mission is to identify, promote and facilitate the exploitation of opportunities for private sector investments that will create jobs for, and promote prosperity and the well-being of the People of Nigeria.”

Adeyemi wrote, “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 documents have surfaced amid the criminal prosecution of Adeyemi, who is accused of operating a fictitious government agency, forging a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and falsely presenting himself as Director-General of the PFIPC.

It was also alleged that he operated 34 bank accounts, including some opened in the names of purported government agencies, and conducted official engagements, including a meeting with diplomats at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja, under the banner of the council.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, maintained that the PFIPC was fictitious.

According to the statement titled, “Re: The Matter of Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and the Fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council,” the Presidency outlined the criminal case against Adeyemi, including the police investigation report, the charges filed against him and what it described as his long history of fraudulent conduct.

FG lists Gbajabiamila, 10 others as witnesses

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has listed the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and 10 others as witnesses in the criminal case against Adeyemi.

A copy of the charge sheet, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, was obtained by our correspondent.

Adeyemi and two others, identified as Femi and Anu, who are said to be at large, are facing charges of conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and related offences.

According to the eight-count charge, the suspects allegedly operated a fictitious government agency and forged official presidential documents to give it legitimacy.

The alleged offences were committed between 2024 and 2025.

Among those listed as witnesses are three officials of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Count Two of the charge reads: “That you, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew… forged an appointment letter purportedly issued by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR… and signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.”

In Count Five, the prosecution alleged that Adeyemi falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

The charges, brought under the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Penal Code, accuse the defendants of creating a fictitious Federal Government agency and using forged documents bearing presidential insignia, reference numbers and official seals.

An interim report by the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit, filed as part of the court processes, stated that the investigation was triggered by a petition from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

According to the report, “The attention of the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President was drawn to the activities of some individuals and groups who were fraudulently forging official appointment letters purportedly issued from the said office.”

Police alleged that the forged documents carried falsified signatures, reference numbers and official seals, which were used to create leadership positions in what investigators described as a non-existent agency.

“The forged documents had falsified signatures, reference/folio numbers and seals, and were used to claim leadership appointments into non-existing entities, particularly one known as the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC),” the report stated.

Investigators further alleged that Adeyemi presented himself as the head of the agency and held meetings with both Nigerians and foreign nationals in that capacity.

The report also claimed that Adeyemi wrote to several government institutions, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting diplomatic assistance for visa facilitation.

“The suspect went as far as writing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, soliciting a Note Verbale to the Embassy of the United States of America to facilitate the issuance of entry visas for some of his purported staff members,” the report added.

Police said Adeyemi was arrested on October 27, 2025, following surveillance and intelligence gathering, after which search warrants were executed at his office and residence in Suleja, Niger State.

Investigators said they recovered several exhibits, including alleged forged appointment letters, official letterheads, correspondence addressed to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and documents bearing presidential insignia.

The police further alleged that Adeyemi told investigators that one Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola assisted him in procuring the appointment letter. However, the report stated that Tanimola was later confirmed to have died in a fire incident in Abuja.

No trace of PFIPC office at Federal Secretariat

Meanwhile, one of our correspondents visited the Federal Secretariat in Abuja in an attempt to locate the purported office of PFIPC, but found none.

He searched the Health and Education Complex and other sections of the Secretariat, including the floor housing the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and other offices, although the exercise was hampered by a faulty elevator.

Security personnel and civil servants contacted during the visit said they were unaware of the existence or location of the PFIPC’s office.

Also, no signpost bearing the agency’s name was found anywhere within the Secretariat.

At the Federal Ministry of Health building, our correspondent observed that some offices were occupied by departments under the Presidency. However, there was still no indication that the PFIPC operated from the premises.

Further checks showed that the agency previously operated a website on the Federal Government’s domain: https://www.pfipc.gov.ng/.

Although the website was no longer accessible as of the time of filing this report, an open-source intelligence check indicated that the domain was last active in April 2025.

Presidency demands Adeyemi, collaborators’ prosecution

The Presidency on Friday vowed that internal collaborators within government institutions who allegedly enabled Adeyemi to operate his fictitious presidential agency for months without detection would be identified and prosecuted.

It also urged security agencies to dismantle what it described as a criminal network within affected government institutions.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, disclosed this in a post on his X handle, saying investigators from the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Police Force and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had been tasked with uncovering the full extent of the alleged collaboration.

“What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeniyi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel.

“The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled, and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted,” Ajayi wrote.

He alleged that Adeyemi was attempting to exploit public anger over corruption to evade criminal accountability by dragging Gbajabiamila into the controversy.

“In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption.

“Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred, and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues,” he said.

Ajayi described Adeyemi as “an irredeemable con artist” attempting to use Gbajabiamila’s name as “his last straw.”

“Matthew Adeniyi understands Nigerian public psychology and is exploiting it expertly to shield himself. He is an irredeemable con artist who is attempting to drag the name of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, into his criminal enterprise. The Chief of Staff is simply his last straw,” he added.

The presidential aide acknowledged that systemic weaknesses had allowed the alleged fraud to flourish but argued that the same system ultimately exposed it.

“Many commentators have rightly pointed to the systemic failure that allowed such an elaborate fraudulent scheme to flourish. Daredevil criminals who operate around government institutions with the sole aim of pulling off spectacular heists are common across the world. Some succeed, many fail.”

“The part many commentators have overlooked, however, is how that same system eventually detected the fraud and fished him out.

“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively,” Ajayi said.

He explained that officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs became suspicious after Adeyemi’s purported council allegedly began performing functions similar to those of the investment commission and hosting meetings with foreign diplomats without notifying the ministry.

According to him, both institutions subsequently lodged formal complaints with the appropriate authorities.

“That is a system functioning as it should. It is a system capable of detecting an aberration,” he added.

Friday’s statement is the Presidency’s third official response to the controversy.

EFCC, SGF silent

Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Several calls to the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, went unanswered, while a text message seeking the commission’s reaction did not receive a response.

Similarly, the Special Adviser on Media to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yomi Odunuga, requested a copy of the correspondence, saying the SGF would only comment after reviewing the document.

Falana flays FG

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, faulted the Presidency’s position, arguing that it lacked the constitutional authority to exonerate anyone connected with the matter.

He called on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to conduct an independent investigation into both Gbajabiamila and Adeyemi.

Falana also demanded explanations over the alleged budgeting of N24bn for the purported agency and how it was able to open an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

ADC, NDC demand Gbajabiamila’s sack

Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress have called for an independent probe and the immediate removal of Gbajabiamila over allegations linking him to the operations of the alleged non-existent government agency.

The opposition parties described the claims as a major corruption scandal requiring an independent investigation.

In a statement on Friday, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the government’s response to the controversy had exposed what he described as “the staggering depth of institutional decay” under the current administration.

“The issues involved point directly at the heart of national governance and raise fundamental questions about institutional integrity and must therefore be treated with the seriousness they deserve,” the party stated.

According to the ADC, if the Presidency’s position is correct, Nigerians deserve an explanation as to how an organisation with no legal existence allegedly secured recruitment approvals, appeared in government budget documents, corresponded with public institutions, engaged foreign diplomats and interacted with multiple government agencies.

The party argued that the Presidency’s decision to focus on clearing Gbajabiamila, rather than explaining how the alleged scheme operated, suggested that “the administration is either complicit or incompetent.”

The ADC also accused the Federal Government of applying double standards in handling corruption allegations, citing the swift deployment of agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Department of State Services over allegations involving former Nasir El-Rufai.

Similarly, the NDC expressed concern over claims that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation approved 314 staff positions for the alleged agency.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, the party accused the Tinubu administration of using the council to siphon public funds with the active involvement of senior government officials.

The NDC demanded Gbajabiamila’s immediate removal to pave the way for what it described as an impartial investigation. It also called for the constitution of an independent investigative panel and separate probes by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Nigeria Police Force.

The party further urged investigators to examine the alleged budgetary allocations, bank accounts, staff approvals, financial transactions, the death of Tanimola and the alleged assassination attempts on Adeyemi.

CSOs demand probe of alleged CBN accounts, budgetary allocations

A coalition of civil society organisations has called for an independent investigation into allegations surrounding accounts allegedly opened with the Central Bank of Nigeria and budgetary allocations linked to the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the coalition urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the allegations involving the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Emmanuel Oluwasegun said the controversy, which includes bribery allegations against the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and counter-allegations of forgery and impersonation, should not be resolved through media exchanges.

According to the coalition, allegations relating to the 2026 Appropriation Act, accounts allegedly opened at the CBN, and the financial activities of the purported agency warrant a comprehensive and independent investigation.

“A nation cannot be run on rumour, and it cannot be defended by silence. That is the crossroads at which Nigeria now stands,” the coalition said.

The coalition urged the President to mandate the ICPC to investigate every aspect of the controversy, stressing that the objective was not to determine anyone’s guilt but to ensure all allegations were subjected to due process and transparent scrutiny to protect public confidence in government institutions.

It also called on Gbajabiamila to resign or temporarily step aside to allow what it described as an unhindered and transparent investigation.

While acknowledging that the Chief of Staff had denied the allegations and made counter-claims of forgery and impersonation, which are already before the court, the coalition argued that stepping aside would strengthen public confidence in the integrity of the investigative process.

It further urged the President to ensure that the Chief of Staff remained out of office throughout the investigation to eliminate concerns over possible institutional influence.

The coalition also demanded periodic public updates on the investigation and the eventual publication of the final report.

It warned that if no visible steps were taken within seven days to commence an independent probe, it would stage a peaceful protest at the Presidential Villa.

The coalition appealed to Nigerians to remain calm, avoid drawing premature conclusions and allow the allegations to be determined through credible investigations rather than speculation.(Punch)