The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has cleared President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of allegations linking him to the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), describing the organisation as a fictitious entity created through forged government documents.
The findings were presented by ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu after submitting the commission’s interim investigation report to Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged Director-General of the PFIPC, Adeniyi Adeyemi, was never appointed by the Federal Government. Investigators established that the agency itself was never created by any law, executive order or any other legal instrument, while the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was forged.
The commission said its investigation followed President Tinubu’s directive of July 7 ordering a probe into Adeyemi’s allegation that he paid ₦400 million to Gbajabiamila to secure his appointment as Director-General of the PFIPC. After completing its preliminary investigation, ICPC said there was no evidence supporting the allegation.
Aliyu disclosed that investigators also uncovered forged gazettes and fabricated legal documents used to portray the fake agency as a legitimate federal institution. He further revealed that Adeyemi allegedly broke into and unlawfully occupied the former offices of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), using the premises to conduct the activities of the fake organisation.
According to the ICPC chairman, the suspect later expanded the operation by creating two additional fictitious agencies—the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership. He also allegedly changed the name of the PFIPC to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council in an apparent attempt to broaden its influence and overlap with the responsibilities of legitimate government institutions.
The commission noted that although no federal funds were approved or disbursed to the fake organisation, the investigation exposed weaknesses in government verification procedures and inter-agency coordination. Aliyu said those gaps were exploited through alleged negligence and connivance by some public officials.
ICPC identified officials linked to 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 of the Federation, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) as among those whose actions or omissions enabled the fake agency to operate.
The commission recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi on multiple offences, administrative sanctions against public officials whose negligence facilitated the operation of the fake agency, and broad institutional reforms aimed at strengthening internal controls across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Presidential spokesman Sunday Dare said President Tinubu would review the interim report and consult the Attorney General of the Federation before determining the government’s next steps. He added that the President directed that the findings be made public in the interest of transparency while investigations by the National Assembly, the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant agencies continue.
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Meanwhile, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the matter that the fake agency’s website falsely listed President Tinubu as Chairman of its Governing Board, alongside several senior government officials.
Mohammed explained that the FRSC was misled into registering seven official vehicles for the organisation after officials relied on what appeared to be authentic government correspondence, a federal government domain name and successful verification of statutory payments through the REMITA platform. He admitted shortcomings in the agency’s verification process, describing the incident as isolated, and said steps had been initiated to recover all number plates issued to the fake organisation while strengthening internal verification procedures.
However, Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee, Yusuf Gagdi, criticised the FRSC for failing to detect obvious irregularities, arguing that it was implausible for the President and virtually all top federal officials to serve simultaneously on the governing board of such an agency.
