The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has raised concerns over documents that allegedly listed President Bola Tinubu and several senior government officials as members of the council’s governing board.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, disclosed this during an investigative hearing on Thursday while questioning the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, over the issuance of seven official vehicle number plates to the PFIPC.
Gagdi said the documents presented by the organisation named Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, among others, as members of its governing board.
Others allegedly listed included the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Attorney-General of the Federation and several ministers.
The committee faulted the FRSC for approving the number plates despite what lawmakers described as obvious irregularities in the council’s documentation.
Gagdi said the purported mandate submitted to the FRSC lacked some official government security features and argued that the unusual composition of the board should have prompted further checks.
“We are trying to expose the leakages so that agencies can close these gaps going forward. It is not to indict anybody,” he said.
According to him, the FRSC ought to have independently verified the authenticity of the documents with the Presidency and other relevant institutions before processing the request.
Responding, Mohammed said the corps followed its standard operating procedures during the application process.
He told the committee that the FRSC received the PFIPC’s application on April 4, 2025, followed by a reminder dated April 11, both signed by Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi.
The application, he said, was accompanied by documents purporting to establish the council, including details of its mandate, governing structure and the vehicles for which official number plates were sought.
Mohammed added that FRSC officials checked the organisation’s website, which carried a Federal Government domain, and also visited its office at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.
According to him, both the website and the physical office gave the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate government agency.
He said officials also verified the chassis numbers of the vehicles before approving the plates.
FRSC Begins Retrieval Of Plates
The Corps Marshal said the FRSC was surprised when it later emerged that the PFIPC was not a legally recognised Federal Government agency.
He told lawmakers that the corps had begun retrieving all official number plates issued to the organisation and had tightened its verification procedures to prevent a recurrence.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had earlier recommended the prosecution of Adeniyi over allegations that he operated the PFIPC without lawful authority.
Adeniyi had reportedly claimed that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, issued his appointment letter.
Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, denied the allegation.
The ICPC also said it found no wrongdoing on the part of the Presidency or the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The commission, however, identified institutional lapses in several ministries, departments and agencies, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency.
