Reps to grill Accountant-General over fake agency scandal

The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) is expected to question the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, on Monday as its probe enters the third week.

The committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, is investigating how the PFIPC, which the Federal Government says is not a legally established agency, allegedly secured office space within the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja and was allocated more than ₦1.32 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The investigation follows concerns over how the council allegedly operated within government structures despite lacking legal recognition, raising questions about public financial management and institutional oversight.

At the hearing, Ogunjimi is expected to explain how the PFIPC obtained a government budget code, which enabled it to be listed in the 2026 federal budget despite its disputed legal status.

Lawmakers are seeking to determine the budgetary and financial processes that facilitated the agency’s inclusion in the government’s expenditure framework.

Since the commencement of the investigation, the committee has heard from several senior government officials, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack; the Director of Banking Services at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abdullahi Hamisu; and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu.

Their testimonies focused on the administrative processes through which the PFIPC allegedly obtained official documentation and became integrated into parts of the federal bureaucracy.

The investigation gained further attention following the arrest of Adeyemi Adeniyi, who allegedly presented himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC.

Adeniyi was arrested by the Nigeria Police Force after allegedly claiming that he paid ₦400 million through an intermediary to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, to secure his appointment as head of the council.

The Presidency and Gbajabiamila have denied the allegation, describing Adeniyi as an impostor and maintaining that neither the Presidency nor the Chief of Staff had any involvement in the establishment or operations of the purported agency.

Government officials have consistently maintained that the PFIPC is not a legally recognised federal agency, intensifying scrutiny over how it allegedly obtained office accommodation, official documentation and budgetary allocations.

The committee is expected to determine whether administrative lapses, institutional negligence or deliberate misconduct enabled the council to function within the federal system.

Several other senior officials are also expected to appear before the panel, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.

The lawmakers said the investigation is aimed at uncovering the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the PFIPC, identifying any breaches of due process and ensuring that anyone found culpable is held accountable in accordance with the law.

They added that the probe is intended to strengthen public institutions, safeguard public funds and restore confidence in government systems.