‘I’m being made a scapegoat’ — PFIPC’s Adeyemi seeks clearance to appear before reps panel

‘I’m being made a scapegoat’ — PFIPC’s Adeyemi seeks clearance to appear before reps panel

 Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general of the Presidential
Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), has asked the house of
representatives to issue an administrative clearance to allow him testify in
the investigation hearing of the lower chamber. In a statement released by his legal team on Sunday,
Adeyemi, who is currently in custody, said any legislative report on the PFIPC
scandal without his testimony is “fundamentally flawed”. Adeyemi’s legal team is led by Festus Akhigbe, a lawyer. Last week, some officials of the federal government appeared
before the house of representatives ad hoc committee investigating the PFIPC
controversy and the N1.3 billion allocated to the council in the 2026
Appropriation Act.During the committee’s hearing last Wednesday, Tunji Disu,
inspector-general of Police (IGP), declined to produce Adeyemi before the ad
hoc committee, citing that the self-styled director-general is being held in
custody on a court order. The committee had previously asked asked the IGP to produce
Adeyemi during the hearing. ‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SINGLE CITIZEN TO MISLEAD MULTIPLE FG
AGENCIES’In the statement, Adeyemi’s legal team said their client is
being framed as an “isolated, master-mind impostor who single-handedly
fabricated a federal government agency”. The legal team said the administrative footprints of the
PFIPC indicates a different story from the narrative being portrayed in the
public. The legal team said the house of representatives must probe
the “undisputed institutional actions that created and validated” the PFIPC. “The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF): Formally acknowledged documentation and facilitated official
office allocations within the Federal Secretariat Complex,” the statement
reads.  “If these documents were crude forgeries, how did the
central administrative engine of the Federal Government act upon them? “The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation
(OAGF) & Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN): Acted on official documentation to
issue administrative budget codes, grant self-accounting status, post federal
civil service staff to the council, and officially open operational accounts. “The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the
Federation (OHCSF): Formally approved the establishment structure and granted
recruitment waivers that enabled the onboarding of three hundred and fourteen
(314) personnel. “The Budget Office of the Federation & National
Assembly: Processed and vetted documentation leading to the formal insertion of
a ₦1.302 billion allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act, passed by both
chambers of the National Assembly and signed into law by the President.  “Security Agencies & Anti-Graft Bodies: Heads of major
security agencies attended programs organized by the council. Furthermore, the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allocated a property to the
council, requested a ₦300 million processing consideration, and its leadership
presented a plaque of recognition to the council’s leadership.” The legal team said it is an “administrative impossibility
for an unassisted individual” to mislead multiple agencies of the federal
government.  The legal team alleged that their client is “being made a
scapegoat to cover up deep-seated institutional lapses, procedural breakdowns,
and internal approvals within the government structure”. “In light of the ongoing proceedings by the House of
Representatives Ad-hoc Committee chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, we formally
request that the panel issue the necessary administrative clearance to allow
our client, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, to appear in person and testify,”
the statement reads.  “Any investigative outcome or final legislative report
produced without affording our client a direct hearing would be fundamentally
flawed, incomplete, and a breach of the constitutional right to a fair hearing
(audi alteram partem). 



























































































“To reach a definitive conclusion, the committee must
examine not only institutional witnesses but also the primary subject at the
center of this controversy.”

Source: ‘I’m being made a scapegoat’ — PFIPC’s Adeyemi seeks clearance to appear before reps panel



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