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Innocent Oweh
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has submitted its’ interim report to the presidency, indicting the Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew and his link with the fake “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” (PFIPC).
Recall that the President, Bola Tinubu had ordered the ICPC to probe Adeniyi and his cohorts for falsely posing as the Director-General of the fictitious body called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
Tinubu gave the ICPC a 30-day deadline which elapsed on Thursday, August 6th, 2026.
The President specifically directed the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu Adamu that the probe should cover the forgery of official government and appointment documents, unauthorized bank accounts opened for the fake agency, and potential collaborators within public institutions.
But shortly after presenting the report to the President, on Thursday, the ICPC Boss, Adamu revealed some of the details of the investigation, alleging that Adeyemi was neck deep into the fraudulent acts as he opened two other fake agencies besides the PFIPC.
ICPC alleged that the letters of appointment which Adeniyi claimed emanated from the presidency were fake, as it had no genuine dealing with State House officials.
The ICPC recommended that Adeniyi be probed, including his cohorts within the civil service system to serve as deterrent to others.
The report, though interim also indicted some core personalities and officials of the civil service for gross negligence.
The ICPC Boss stated, “As you may recall, on the 7th of July, Mr. President directed the ICPC, to conduct an investigation into the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, and to submit the report within 30 days, and today is exactly the 30 days.
“We have submitted an internal report of what we have discovered based on our interaction with the stakeholders involved in the issue.
“Now the President took the right decision in the spirit of transparency and accountability, and directed ICPC to address the media for the benefit of Nigeria, so that Nigeria will know what our investigation discovered.
“Following the interim report, we discovered that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was never appointed by the federal government or any authority of government.
“Then the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, which sometimes they call it Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council was never established by any law or executive order or other mandate instrument of government, and the appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew was completely forged alongside similar documents used to perpetuate the illegal activities of the fake agency.
“If you recall, there was a gazette, a law which was forged as an instrument which he used to support the fake agency, that gazetted all the law that was gazetted is an illegal law that has never passed through the processes as provided by the law, and also the PFIC cannibalize the former Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and illegally appropriated offices and instruments of operation.
“What we discovered was that the office used by the fake agency through the Adeyemi was that the office of PEAC was broken? The lock was broken, and he had access to the office. That was how he was able to get inside that office, and also the false projection, false representation, widespread impersonation, and wide range of illegal activities were perpetrated by the fake DG or the fake agency.
“Our internal report found that there are weaknesses in verification, inter-agency oversight, and government processes. That we discovered that those weaknesses were exploited by Adeniyi with some level of negligence.
“Our investigation found our that no funds of the federal government was approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC slash PEAC, and we discovered that there was no any weaknesses were found in the system of the State House in our own investigation, also the fake appointment letter of Matthew did not originate from the presidency.
“The ICPC discovered that Adeniyi also created two additional fictitious government agencies, apart from the one that is known in the public domain. Our investigation revealed two other fake government agencies, namely FCT Investment Promotion Agency, as acronym FIFA, and Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership FIFA-PPP, to facilitate the creation of the additional two fake agencies.
“He used forged legislative instruments styles as enabling acts, and using them to support opening of bank accounts, because we discovered that he has opened two bank accounts in a commercial bank, which he went to use in these illegal activities. So, based on this thing, like I said, that we discovered that because of the access he had to the former PEAC office, he now changed the name of the fake agency from Foreign Investment Promotion Council to Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, and he was trying to encroach into the mandate of some agencies that are revenue generation agencies.
“That’s what we discovered because you use that to now expand the money of his agency. So some of the recommendation which we have submitted to Mr. President, one is that Mr. Adeyemi should be prosecuted.
“Two administrative sanctions be imposed on public officers whose acts of omissions, negligence, facilitated the illegal operation of PFIPC slash PEAC because our investigation found that some public officers they failed to do due diligence, and they failed to adhere with the standard procedure that are supposed to be complied in their ministries and departments, and that is ehat gave him the opportunity to conduct this illegal act.
“Institutional reform has also been recommended that there is need for institutional reform so that the internal control of the MDAs can be strengthened to block this kind of illegal activity that happen, and also this report, like I said, is an interim”.
DAILY INDEPENDENT recalls that since the fake agency was discovered, Nigerians have had a field day criticising the current administration for lapses in the system, a move that may have prompted the President to order an investigation, especially when his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajiabamila was alleged to be in the know of the clandestine activities.
