Fake agency scandal: Adeyemi denies acting alone, names MDAs

Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the detained self-styled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, has challenged allegations that he single-handedly created the disputed agency, insisting that several federal institutions officially dealt with and recognised the council before the controversy erupted.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his legal team, led by Festus Akhigbe, Adeyemi argued that he was being unfairly singled out for actions that allegedly involved multiple government bodies.

The defence also asked the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the council to allow Adeyemi appear in person, warning that excluding him from the proceedings would amount to a denial of fair hearing.

According to the lawyers, several key government institutions processed official requests relating to the council, making it impossible to portray their client as the sole architect of the agency.

They alleged that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation acknowledged documents connected to the council and facilitated the allocation of office space within the Federal Secretariat.

The statement further claimed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria approved administrative budget codes, granted the council self-accounting status, opened operational accounts and facilitated the deployment of federal civil servants to the organisation.

It also alleged that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation approved the council’s organisational structure and authorised recruitment that led to the engagement of 314 personnel.

The legal team further claimed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission allocated office space to the council, collected processing fees and presented a plaque to its leadership, while senior security officials attended programmes organised by the organisation.

Adeyemi’s lawyers argued that the level of official interaction with the council showed it could not have operated without institutional participation.

“If several government institutions processed, recognised and engaged with the council over an extended period, it is unreasonable to suggest that one individual alone deceived the entire machinery of government,” the statement said.

The defence maintained that Adeyemi was being made a scapegoat for wider administrative failures and called for an independent investigation into the roles played by all ministries, departments and agencies linked to the council.

It urged investigators to examine the complete documentary trail surrounding the establishment and operations of the agency rather than focusing solely on its client.

The statement comes as the House of Representatives continues its investigation into the controversial council.

During the ongoing hearings, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, acknowledged that her office did not carry out sufficient due diligence before approving recruitment requests associated with the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.