Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered two additional fake government agencies linked to Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after presenting the commission’s interim report on the PFIPC investigation at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Aliyu, investigators identified the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (PIFA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (PIPA) as entities created using forged legislative instruments.
“These agencies were created using forged legislative instruments and were used to open bank accounts for illegal activities,” he said.
The ICPC said its investigation established that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council was never created through any law or executive order.
The commission also found that the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was forged and that the fake agency unlawfully took over offices and instruments belonging to the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
Aliyu said the agency operated from the former PEAC office and engaged in false representation, impersonation and other illegal activities, exploiting gaps in verification and inter-agency oversight.
He further revealed that Adeyemi altered the agency’s name from the Foreign Investment Promotion Council to the Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and sought to expand its activities to include revenue generation.
The ICPC chairman said the investigation found that no government funds were approved or released to the fake PFIPC or PEAC and that there were no weaknesses in the systems of either the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Among the recommendations contained in the interim report are the prosecution of Adeyemi, administrative sanctions against public officials who aided the operation, and reforms aimed at strengthening internal controls.
The officials identified as collaborators are from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency.
“The report is interim and the investigation continues to uncover more details to file criminal charges against Adeyemi and his collaborators,” Aliyu said.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had taken note of the findings and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability in addressing the matter.
