President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a sweeping inquiry into the activities of the so‑called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), with a mandate to submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.

The directive was announced Tuesday in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. According to the statement, the order follows confirmation that the PFIPC is entirely fictitious — never established by the Federal Government and lacking any legal basis, presidential instrument, executive approval, or other lawful act of government.

The Presidency identified Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as the individual who presented himself as Director‑General of the purported council and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.

What the Investigation Will Cover

The ICPC has been tasked with probing a number of areas, the statement said, including:

• Forged appointment letters and other official government documents;
• The use of false claims of presidential appointment to seek or obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation;
• The opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.

Beyond examining the conduct of the principal suspect and any collaborators, the probe will also investigate the broader circumstances that may have allowed a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy.

President Tinubu further directed the commission to identify weaknesses in government and institutional procedures that may have been exploited and to recommend immediate measures to prevent a recurrence.

All MDAs Ordered to Cooperate

All ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government have been instructed to provide the ICPC, upon lawful request, with all relevant information, records, and assistance required for the timely completion of the investigation.

President Tinubu, according to the statement, stressed that “the integrity of the Presidency and the institutions of the Federal Government must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses in the public service”. He further directed that all persons found culpable be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.

How the Controversy Unfolded

The PFIPC scandal has dominated public discourse in recent weeks. The Presidency had previously, through a disclaimer issued by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila on June 11, maintained that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the PFIPC was not an agency of government. It also warned diplomatic missions, financial institutions and development partners against recognising either Adeyemi or the organisation.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga previously disclosed that complaints about the organisation first reached the Presidency in October 2025 after concerns were raised that another body was operating alongside the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission. He added that investigations allegedly uncovered forged appointment letters bearing the Chief of Staff’s signature and official seals.

The Nigeria Police subsequently filed an eight‑count charge against Adeyemi before the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing him of conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and the alleged creation of fraudulent presidential documents. The matter has been adjourned until July 27, 2026.

Adeyemi has consistently denied wrongdoing, insisting that the PFIPC was a genuine government initiative known to senior officials. He had earlier alleged that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 per cent of the council’s take‑off grant, valued at about ₦27.4 billion, claiming that ₦400 million was paid through intermediaries while an additional ₦200 million was later demanded. The Presidency has denied the allegations, which have not been established in court.

Meanwhile, documents circulating in the public domain reportedly show that an entity described as the “Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation of about ₦1.303 billion — a provision that has fuelled further questions from opposition figures, lawyers and civil society organisations.