PFIPC Scandal: Fresh Twist as Head of Service Admits Mistakes as Reps Expose Irregular Approvals
- Nigeria's Head of Civil Service, Didi Walson-Jack, told the House Ad-Hoc Committee her office processed fake documents before approving the PFIPC
- The Office of the Accountant-General identified staff member Bello Abdullahi as the official who diverted a letter meant for the State House Permanent Secretary
- Police forensic experts confirmed the signature on Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi's appointment letter did not match that of the supposed signatory
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FCT, Abuja - Nigeria's Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said that her office failed to conduct sufficient checks before issuing key approvals to the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, an agency that investigators believe has no legal basis.
Walson-Jack stated this on Wednesday, July 29, during a hearing of the House Ad-Hoc Committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, the lawmaker representing Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency in Plateau State.
As reported by The Punch, the committee is probing how the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council allegedly secured official government recognition without any enabling legislation.
Fake documents used to obtain official status
At the centre of the investigation is Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, who posed as the PFIPC's Director-General and allegedly used forged appointment letters, fabricated legislative documents, and fictitious government offices to obtain approvals from multiple federal institutions.
Walson-Jack told the committee that officials of the purported agency attended the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence, presenting what appeared to be a legitimate Establishment Act and a letter appointing a Director-General. Her office then processed a recruitment waiver and authorised establishment based on those documents.
She later conceded under questioning that the Establishment Act was not genuine.
"I requested to see the documents myself, and I saw that the Establishment Act was not really an authentic Act. I have almost 30 years of legal practice experience, and immediately I saw it, I knew it was not real,"
She also acknowledged that the signature on the appointment letter, purportedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, differed visibly from other documents bearing the same signatory's name.
Gagdi confirmed that Nigeria Police Force forensic experts had already analysed the signatures and found no match, adding that there was no attempt to imitate the original signature.
The committee also noted that the document presented as a National Assembly Act lacked citation numbers, Supreme Court numbers, Gazette numbers, and Gazette titles, all standard features of valid Nigerian legislation.
Accountant-General's office points to individual staff member
Separately, Joshua Luka, Director of the Federal Project Financial Department in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, told the committee that his office had deliberately addressed an administrative code letter to the State House Permanent Secretary rather than the agency, as a precaution.
However, the committee established that the letter never reached the Permanent Secretary and was instead collected by Adeyemi.
Luka attributed the failure to a single staff member, whom he identified as Bello Abdullahi, who sat in the hearing room during the session.
Bello admitted giving the letter to Adeyemi, though the committee chairman cut short his explanation.
Gagdi also disclosed that the Directorate of Administration and Support Services, which appeared on the correspondence, does not exist within the State House.
Adeyemi could not be produced before the committee as directed because he remains in custody under a court order.
The committee said it would seek a reproduction warrant from a court of competent jurisdiction.
The committee said it has concluded most of its fact-finding work and plans to present preliminary findings to the public the following week, before submitting its final report to the House after lawmakers return from recess.
PFIPC scandal: Senate decides on probing
Recall that the Nigerian Senate voted against a motion to investigate how ₦1.3 billion was allocated to the allegedly non-existent PFIPC in the 2026 budget.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin said the Senate would wait for the ICPC's findings before taking further legislative action.
The Senate's decision contrasts with the House of Representatives, which adopted a motion to investigate the same controversial allocation.
PFIPC scandal: Atiku faults Tinubu's ICPC probe
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Atiku Abubakar said Tinubu's directive to the ICPC to probe the PFIPC affair was a reluctant response to his seven-day ultimatum.
Atiku argued that referring the matter to a government agency contradicted the standard of independence Nigerians expected.
The former vice president demanded a 10-member Special Independent Commission of Inquiry to conclude work within one month.
Source: Legit.ng
