By Sunday Ameh
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has cleared the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, of any wrongdoing in the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal.
Presenting the commission’s interim investigation report to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu (SAN) said investigations established that the purported Director-General of the PFIPC, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, was never appointed by the Federal Government.
Aliyu said the PFIPC was not created by any law, executive order or other valid government instrument, adding that the appointment letter presented by Adeyemi was forged.
According to the ICPC, the suspect, who is currently in custody, also created two additional fictitious agencies — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP) — using fake legislative instruments to support their operations.
The commission further alleged that Adeyemi unlawfully occupied the offices of the defunct Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) after breaking into the premises and used the facility to impersonate a government official and conduct illegal activities.
Aliyu disclosed that the investigation found no evidence that any Federal Government funds were approved or disbursed to the fake agency. He also stated that investigators found no weaknesses in the systems of the Presidency or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), while the forged appointment letter did not originate from the Presidency.
The ICPC, however, identified lapses in verification processes and inter-agency coordination, which it said were exploited by the suspect with the negligence and alleged connivance of some public officials.
Officials linked to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) were identified during the investigation.
Consequently, the commission recommended the prosecution of Adeyemi, administrative sanctions against public officers whose negligence enabled the operation of the fake agency, and institutional reforms to strengthen internal controls across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Meanwhile, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said President Tinubu would study the report and consult the Attorney-General of the Federation before taking further action, noting that the President directed that the findings be made public in the interest of transparency.
Separately, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the scandal that the fake agency’s website listed President Tinubu as chairman of its governing board alongside several top government officials.
He explained that the agency’s official-looking documents, federal government domain website and verified REMITA payments misled the FRSC into issuing official number plates for seven vehicles linked to the organisation.
The House committee, however, criticised the FRSC for failing to detect obvious irregularities in the documents presented by the suspect, while the corps said it had begun recovering the number plates and strengthening its verification procedures.
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