- Akume, Fagbemi, Others To Appear Before House Ad Hoc C’ttee
THE CONTROVERSY surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) deepened on Monday as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) questioned the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, while the House of Representatives intensified separate investigations into the council’s legal status, operations and inclusion in the federal budget.
ICPC spokesperson, John Odey, confirmed that Gbajabiamila honoured the commission’s invitation and was questioned over his alleged involvement in the establishment of the controversial agency.
“He was indeed at our office this afternoon. He was invited and he came, he volunteered a statement and left. We did not detain him; he was not arrested. He came on his own willingly, gave his statement and left. He was cooperating with the investigations,” Odey said.
The PFIPC came under scrutiny after its self-styled Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of the council’s proposed ₦27.3 billion take-off grant and collected ₦400 million through a proxy to facilitate his appointment, while requesting an additional ₦200 million for presidential approvals.
Gbajabiamila, however, denied knowing Adeyemi and rejected allegations of bribery, abuse of office, interference with security agencies, an alleged assassination attempt on Adeyemi and involvement in the death of Babatunde Tanimola, who was alleged to have acted as an intermediary.
President Bola Tinubu had directed the ICPC to investigate the matter within 30 days.
Earlier on Monday, Gbajabiamila’s lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, confirmed that his client appeared before the anti-graft agency in compliance with the president’s directive.
He said Gbajabiamila testified and responded to investigators’ questions before returning to work.
House Inaugurates Ad Hoc C’ttee
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, inaugurated an ad hoc committee to investigate the alleged establishment of PFIPC without a valid legal basis.
Tajudeen said the inquiry was aimed at establishing facts regarding the council’s legal status, institutional mandate, operational framework, relationship with existing agencies and its inclusion in the federal budget framework.
“The House of Representatives has therefore not constituted this committee to validate speculation or amplify controversy, neither is this a political exercise. Our objective is simply to establish the facts,” he said.
He directed the panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the council’s creation, examine its powers, governance structure, funding and operations, determine how it was captured in the federal budget, assess possible duplication of functions with existing agencies and recommend reforms to strengthen transparency and accountability.
According to the Speaker, the inquiry is “not about personalities but about institutions and the integrity of public administration.”
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, said the investigation reflected the House’s commitment to ensuring that public institutions operate within the law and remain accountable to Nigerians.
The committee also commenced a public hearing into the controversy, inviting the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, and other officials to appear before it.
The lawmakers are seeking explanations on how the PFIPC acquired office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat and became listed in the 2026 budget framework despite questions over its legal existence.
At the hearing, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the office space occupied by the council had been allocated to her office and that PFIPC’s request for approval of its organisational structure was rejected due to inadequate documentation.
She added that her office neither approved office accommodation for the council nor deployed any staff to it.
Also testifying, CBN Director of Banking Services, Hamisu Abdullahi, confirmed that PFIPC had two accounts opened with the apex bank after receiving clearance from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
He, however, said the accounts were never activated because no authorised signatories were presented.
The committee vowed to unravel the circumstances surrounding the council’s establishment and operations.
