PFIPC Scandal: Head of Service Admits Failure as Reps Uncover Fake Appointment Letters, Forged Documents

• The Head of the Civil Service has admitted her office failed to carry out proper checks before approving requests from the controversial PFIPC, as lawmakers uncovered fake appointment letters, fabricated government documents and other evidence in the ongoing probe.

Fresh revelations have emerged in the House of Representatives’ investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, admitting her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before approving key requests from the purported agency.

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) also blamed one of its officials for diverting an official letter that allegedly helped the fake agency gain recognition.

The House Ad-Hoc Committee probing the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) said it had uncovered what it described as a network of fake appointment letters, fabricated legislative documents and fictitious government offices allegedly used to obtain official approvals from federal institutions.

The committee is investigating how Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC, allegedly secured recognition for the agency using forged government documents despite the body having no legal backing.

Appearing before the panel, Walson-Jack admitted that her office processed the agency’s request based on documents later discovered to be fake.

“We concede that we ought to have carried out more due diligence in issuing an authorised establishment and a recruitment waiver to the PEAC/PFIPC,” she said.

She explained that officials of the purported agency attended the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence with what appeared to be an Establishment Act and a letter appointing a Director-General, documents her office accepted in line with existing procedures.

However, she admitted that after personally reviewing the documents, it became obvious they were not authentic.

“I have almost 30 years of legal practice experience and immediately I saw it, I knew it was not real,” she stated.

She also questioned the authenticity of the appointment letter allegedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, noting that the signature did not match other official documents.

Committee Chairman Yusuf Gagdi disclosed that forensic experts from the Nigeria Police Force had already confirmed the signatures were fake.

“The Police Forensic Department has already analysed the signatures and confirmed that those signatures are not the same,” Gagdi said.

Earlier, officials from the Office of the Accountant-General admitted that an administrative code issued for the agency was meant for the Permanent Secretary, State House, but never got there.

Director of the Federal Project Financial Department, Joshua Luka, blamed the incident on a staff member, Bello Abdullahi, who allegedly handed the official correspondence directly to Adeyemi instead of delivering it to the State House.

The committee faulted the explanation, revealing that the Directorate of Administration and Support Services listed in the documents did not exist in the State House.

The hearing also heard that Adeyemi could not be produced before lawmakers because he remains in police custody under a subsisting court order.

The committee said it had completed most of its fact-finding exercise and would present preliminary findings next week before submitting its final report to the House of Representatives after lawmakers resume from recess.