By Mary Onyia
Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila appeared before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) on Monday as investigations began into the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), with both the Presidency and investigators asserting that the documents linking him to the body contained a forged signature.
Gbajabiamila reportedly accepted the ICPC invitation in line with President Tinubu’s order for a thorough investigation into the alleged fake agency. His lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, confirmed that the Chief of Staff appeared before the commission, answered questions about the issue, and then returned to work after giving his testimony.
The Presidency has consistently distanced Gbajabiamila from the alleged scheme, insisting that a police forensic examination established that the signature on the disputed appointment letter purportedly appointing Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew as Director-General of the PFIPC was forged. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the police also found that the documents used to present the council as an official government agency were fake, reinforcing the government’s position that the Chief of Staff had no role in its activities.
” They found out that all the documents he was parading were fake,” Onanuga reportedly said.
President Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate the origin and use of the forged documents, the alleged false claim of presidential appointment, the opening and operation of bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies, the movement of funds, and the role of any individuals or institutions that may have facilitated the alleged scheme. The commission is also expected to identify weaknesses in government procedures that allowed the fictitious body to appear legitimate and submit its report within 30 days.
The Presidency said anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law, while all federal ministries, departments, and agencies have been directed to cooperate fully with the investigation. ” All persons found culpable would be treated strictly in accordance with the applicable law,” the President said. The probe follows mounting calls from civil society groups, senior lawyers, and opposition figures for a thorough inquiry into the scandal.
Meanwhile, an ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives has on Monday during a public hearing, invited the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. SGF, George Akume, to explain how the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council acquired office space within the federal secretariat. The ad hoc committee will also investigate the circumstances surrounding the existence and operations of the PFIPC and its inclusion in the budget framework.
Also invited are: Minister of Finance Taiwo Oyedele, Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, Accountant General of the Federation Dr. Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, Director-General of the Budget Office, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu, and others.
The PFIPC controversy erupted after Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew allegedly claimed to head a federal agency that the Presidency says was never established. The scandal deepened when the body was linked to forged presidential documents, purported Central Bank of Nigeria accounts, and a ₦1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act, prompting President Tinubu to order a full-scale ICPC investigation.