The acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has said he is ready to cooperate with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in its investigation into the fictitious agency.
He stated this on Tuesday during an Instagram interview with social media personality VeryDarkMan, hours after President Bola Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate the activities of the purported agency and all related matters, demanding a comprehensive report within 30 days.
Adeyemi also said he is willing to hand over documents in his possession to security agencies to assist ongoing investigations into the controversy surrounding the body
He said, “I am willing and ready to help security agencies or any panel set up by Mr President to unravel the truth.
“In fact, any moment from now, I will go to the DSS or the police to submit all the documents I have to help them investigate and look into this matter.”
Adeyemi said he possessed documents he believed would assist investigators in uncovering the circumstances surrounding the council.
“They should authenticate them. They should verify them. They should unravel the truth,” he said.
During the interview, Adeyemi questioned how the council, which the Presidency insists does not exist, appeared in the national budget.
“When the Presidency, through the Chief of Staff, said the agency does not exist, I wondered how an agency that found its way into the national budget could suddenly be described as fake,” he said.
He added, “I was in detention for 23 days during the period the budget was being prepared. I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf. That is why I am confused about how the agency found its way into the national budget.”
On his allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Adeyemi said he preferred an independent investigation rather than making further accusations.
“I wouldn’t say he’s lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s telling the truth. That is why I requested that Mr President set up an investigative panel to unravel the truth, so we will know those involved,” he said.
Adeyemi also claimed he was attacked by gunmen near Zuma Rock in September 2025 and reiterated that his involvement with the council was driven by a desire to attract foreign investment to Nigeria.
“I don’t really have a negative plan. It’s all about passion for the country. That agency is to bring foreign investors to Nigeria and make Nigeria a preferred destination for investment,” he said.
PUNCH Online reports that the Presidency has maintained that the Federal Government never established the council, while the ICPC has been directed to conclude its investigation and submit a report within 30 days.
Tinubu also directed the ICPC to investigate the forged appointment letters and official government documents allegedly used by Adeyemi to seek or 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.
The directive comes after weeks of mounting public pressure from civil society organisations, opposition politicians and senior lawyers who demanded an independent inquiry into how the fictitious council operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex, opened accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria, appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with an allocation of N1.3bn and engaged diplomatic missions, all without any enabling law or presidential instrument.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, who is representing Adeyemi, had questioned how the body found its way into the national budget even if the appointment letter was forged, and called for the ICPC to investigate both Adeyemi and Gbajabiamila.
The Presidency had denied any connection between Gbajabiamila and the scheme, saying that forensic analysis by the police had confirmed the signature on the appointment letter was forged.
punch.ng
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