The controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council took a fresh twist on Sunday as its self-acclaimed Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, denied acting alone and accused several Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of recognising and interacting with the disputed organisation.
Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, made the claims through a statement issued by his legal team and signed by Festus Akhigbe. His lawyers also called on the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the matter to allow him testify in person, arguing that any report produced without hearing from him would violate his constitutional right to a fair hearing.
According to the defence team, attempts to portray Adeyemi as the sole mastermind behind the controversial agency ignore what they described as years of official engagement by key government institutions. They insisted that multiple government bodies processed documents, approved requests and maintained official interactions with the council.
The lawyers alleged that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) acknowledged documents linked to the council and facilitated office allocation within the Federal Secretariat. They further claimed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued administrative budget codes, granted self-accounting status, deployed civil servants to the council and approved the opening of operational accounts.
They also alleged that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation approved the agency’s organisational structure and granted recruitment waivers that led to the employment of 314 personnel. In addition, the defence claimed that senior security officials attended programmes organised by the council, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allocated a property to the organisation, requested a processing fee and presented a plaque of recognition to its leadership.
Questioning why their client should bear sole responsibility, the legal team argued that it would have been impossible for one individual to mislead multiple arms of government without institutional approval. They described Adeyemi as a “scapegoat” for what they called broader administrative failures and procedural lapses within government.
The defence also urged authorities to expand the investigation beyond Adeyemi, calling for an independent panel comprising civil society groups, legal experts and other stakeholders to examine the full paper trail involving all ministries, departments and agencies linked to the council.
The latest statement comes as the House of Representatives continues its probe into the alleged fake agency. During the ongoing hearings, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, admitted that her office did not carry out sufficient due diligence before approving recruitment requests associated with the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
