Fresh documents have revealed that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation acknowledged and processed official requests submitted by the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council several months before the Presidency declared the body fictitious.
The documents, which include official correspondence exchanged between the SGF’s office and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, suggest that the council’s activities passed through established government channels without objection before it was publicly disowned.
The revelation comes amid the criminal prosecution of the council’s self-acclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who is accused of operating a fake government agency, forging official documents and falsely presenting himself as the head of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
The documents seen showed that the SGF’s office received a request from Adeyemi seeking office accommodation for the council from recovered Federal Government properties.
The request, dated November 7, 2024, was received by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on November 12, according to official registry stamps on the correspondence.
Rather than rejecting the request or questioning the status of the council, the SGF’s office processed the application and forwarded it to the EFCC for necessary action.
The forwarding letter, dated November 21, 2024, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Titled “Request for Office Accommodation,” the letter informed the anti-graft agency that three government institutions had applied for office accommodation from recovered Federal Government properties.
One of the applications was specifically identified as Reference No. SH/DG/PFIPC/RQ/107, dated November 7, 2024, and submitted by the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
The letter stated, “I am directed to forward the attached copies of letters requesting allocation of office accommodation from the recovered Federal Government landed properties for further necessary action.”
Attached to the correspondence was Adeyemi’s request, in which he described the PFIPC as a Federal Government investment promotion agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment into Nigeria.
He claimed that the council served as a one-stop investment centre coordinating investment-related activities across ministries, departments and agencies, while promoting Nigeria as a preferred destination for foreign investors.
According to the letter, the council also facilitated collaboration between the public and private sectors, developed investment policies, compiled information on investment opportunities and coordinated support for prospective investors.
Adeyemi further stated that the vision of the council was to make Nigeria the world’s preferred investment destination by promoting private sector investment capable of creating jobs and boosting economic growth.
The correspondence now raises questions about the extent to which the council was recognised within government circles before it was declared non-existent.
The documents surfaced as Adeyemi continues to face criminal charges over allegations that he forged a presidential appointment letter purportedly signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to legitimise his claim as Director-General of the PFIPC.
He is also accused of operating 34 bank accounts, including some allegedly opened in the names of government agencies, and conducting official engagements under the banner of the council.
Among the allegations against him is that he met diplomats and other stakeholders at the Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja while presenting himself as the head of the investment council.
Despite the official correspondence, the Presidency has maintained that the PFIPC never existed.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the council as a fictitious organisation.
The statement outlined the criminal case against Adeyemi, including the findings of the police investigation and the charges filed against him.
However, the newly obtained documents have intensified scrutiny over how the SGF’s office acknowledged, processed and officially forwarded requests submitted in the name of an agency now described by the Presidency as fake.
The development is expected to feature prominently in the ongoing court proceedings against Adeyemi as attention shifts to the level of official interaction between the alleged fictitious council and key government institutions before the Presidency publicly distanced itself from it.