The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has expressed concern over documents allegedly identifying President Bola Tinubu and several senior government officials as members of the council’s governing board.
The committee chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, raised the issue during an investigative hearing on Thursday while questioning the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, over the issuance of seven official vehicle number plates to the PFIPC.
According to Gagdi, documents submitted by the organisation listed President Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Attorney-General of the Federation, and several ministers as members of the council’s governing board.
The committee criticised the FRSC for approving the official number plates despite what lawmakers described as obvious irregularities in the organisation’s documentation.
Gagdi noted that the mandate presented to the FRSC lacked key government security features and argued that the unusual composition of the board should have prompted the agency to verify the documents with the Presidency and other relevant authorities before granting approval.
He stressed that the investigation was aimed at identifying institutional loopholes and strengthening verification processes rather than targeting any individual.
In his defence, Mohammed said the FRSC adhered to its standard operating procedures when processing the application.
He explained that the corps received the PFIPC’s application on April 4, 2025, followed by a reminder dated April 11, both signed by Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi. The application included documents outlining the council’s mandate, governing structure and details of the vehicles for which official number plates were requested.
Mohammed said FRSC officials also checked the organisation’s website, which carried a Federal Government domain, and visited its office at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja. According to him, both the website and office appeared to confirm that the PFIPC was a legitimate government agency.
He added that the corps also verified the vehicles’ chassis numbers before approving the number plates.
The FRSC boss, however, disclosed that the agency was surprised after discovering that the PFIPC was not a legally recognised Federal Government institution.
He said the corps has commenced the retrieval of all official number plates issued to the organisation and has strengthened its internal verification procedures to prevent a similar occurrence.
Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had earlier recommended the prosecution of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi for allegedly operating the PFIPC without lawful authority.
Adeniyi reportedly claimed that the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, issued his appointment letter, an allegation Gbajabiamila has denied.
The ICPC also cleared the Presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria of any wrongdoing but identified procedural lapses in several ministries, departments and agencies, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency.