President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to launch a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), describing the body as a fictitious organisation with no legal backing.
The President also instructed all federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to cooperate fully with the ICPC by providing all relevant information, records and assistance required to ensure the investigation is concluded promptly.
The directive was contained in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed that the President had ordered the anti-graft agency to complete its investigation and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.
According to the statement, the PFIPC was never established by the Federal Government and has no legal foundation, presidential approval, executive instrument or any other lawful authority.
The statement alleged that one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew falsely presented himself as the Director-General of the purported council and claimed to have been appointed by the President.
The ICPC has been mandated to investigate the alleged forgery of appointment letters and other official government documents, the use of false claims of presidential appointment to obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation, as well as the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.
President Tinubu further directed the commission to investigate not only the activities of the principal suspect and his collaborators but also the broader circumstances that enabled the fictitious organisation to gain an appearance of legitimacy.
The investigation will examine the origin and use of forged official documents, the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained, the opening and operation of related bank accounts, the source and movement of funds, and the roles of any public officials, private individuals, financial institutions or intermediaries who may have facilitated the alleged scheme.
The President also instructed the ICPC to identify weaknesses in government procedures that may have been exploited and recommend immediate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to accountability, President Tinubu stressed that the integrity of the Presidency and all government institutions must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of loopholes within the public service.
He further directed that anyone found culpable at the conclusion of the investigation should be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
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