The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered how some civil servants allegedly helped Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general of the now-disowned Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), secure government approvals and gain access to official financial and administrative systems.
The findings are contained in the ICPC’s interim investigation report into the PFIPC saga, following an investigation ordered by President Bola Tinubu after the presidency disowned both the organisation and Adeyemi.
According to the commission, the purported agency’s penetration of government structures went beyond the alleged use of forged documents. Investigators found that officials in several government institutions processed the organisation’s requests and facilitated approvals despite apparent gaps in established procedures.
How PFIPC Obtained Government Recognition
The ICPC said Adeyemi began seeking formal recognition within government structures in November 2024 when he approached the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) for an administrative code, self-accounting status and approval to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He reportedly submitted documents including an appointment letter, an establishment instrument and a letter printed on State House letterhead purportedly signed by an individual identified as Akanbi Adewale.
However, investigators found that Adewale did not exist and that forensic examination indicated the letter attributed to him had actually been signed by Adeyemi.
Despite the irregularities, the documents were used to process the applications.
On May 27, 2025, the OAGF granted the organisation self-accounting status and assigned it administrative code 0111062001, alongside authorised establishment and recruitment waiver arrangements.
The approvals subsequently enabled the purported PFIPC to gain a place in the 2026 federal budget and access government financial systems.
The OAGF also created a Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform and a Sub-Treasury Account for the organisation. It later issued a mandate to the CBN for the creation of two domiciliary accounts.
The CBN, however, told the House of Representatives that the accounts were never activated because the purported agency failed to provide authorised signatories.
Officials Allegedly Facilitated Recruitment Waiver
The ICPC also examined the roles of three civil servants in securing an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver for the purported agency.
They were identified as Rose Achem, senior administrative officer to the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; Patricia Akhigbe, an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning; and Mimi Abu, director of organisation design and development at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).
The commission alleged that Achem introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the PFIPC’s head of human resources, despite Akhigbe being an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
Investigators said the introduction was aimed at facilitating the purported council’s application for authorised establishment and a recruitment waiver.
The ICPC said the three officials subsequently facilitated the approvals through the OHCSF.
Investigators also found that Adeyemi paid Akhigbe N500,000 during Easter in 2025, with the payment described in evidence as a “thank you for your support.”
According to the report, the authorised establishment was granted on the same day the three officials met.
The commission said it found no evidence that the PFIPC had formally applied for the authorised establishment and recruitment waiver. Instead, the approvals were allegedly processed outside the required procedure.
When investigators requested the relevant file from the OHCSF, the office reportedly said it was missing.
Alleged Use of Forged Documents
The ICPC also scrutinised Abu’s role because her department is responsible for authorised establishment, manpower requirements and recruitment waivers for federal government organisations.
Under established procedures, newly created government organisations seeking authorisation are expected to submit documents demonstrating their mandate and establishment instruments, as well as the appointment letter of the organisation’s head.
The investigation found that Achem and Akhigbe met Abu on behalf of the PFIPC and presented what investigators described as forged establishment instruments and a forged appointment letter for Adeyemi.
Abu reportedly described the controversial appointment letter, allegedly issued by the Chief of Staff to the President, as an “aberration.”
When the purported agency could not upload the required documents through the OHCSF portal, representatives reportedly submitted physical copies of the documents instead.
The ICPC further found that although the PFIPC requested staff deployment in a May 9, 2025 letter, the OHCSF neither approved nor effected the deployment. Evidence from its Enterprise Content Management System reportedly showed that no officers were deployed to the organisation.
How Adeyemi Allegedly Secured Federal Secretariat Office
The investigation also examined the role of Aminu Abdullahi, an official responsible for office allocation within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
According to the ICPC, Abdullahi was introduced to Adeyemi in March 2025 by Ibrahim Abdulkadir, a deputy director in General Services.
The introduction was reportedly intended to assist Adeyemi in obtaining office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat after an earlier request to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had failed to produce the expected result.
The commission found that Abdullahi allocated offices previously occupied by former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Doyin Salami, at Federal Secretariat Phase III for temporary use by the PFIPC without written approval.
Investigators further alleged that only two keys were initially available and that Abdullahi broke the locks on other doors to give Adeyemi access to the remaining offices.
The financial trail also attracted the attention of investigators. According to the ICPC, an analysis of Abdullahi’s bank statement showed that he received N3.25 million from Adeyemi in three instalments between March and November 2025.
Another Suspected Fake Agency Emerges
The PFIPC investigation also led the ICPC to uncover another suspected fake agency — the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office — which allegedly operated within the OSGF.
The development expanded the controversy beyond the PFIPC. The report said President Tinubu subsequently ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of the alleged promoter of the second agency, George Buchi Nwabueze.
ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said investigators found that Nwabueze operated under several variations of his name and that suspected collaborators existed within the OSGF.
The commission also alleged that forged legislative instruments were used to create an appearance of legitimacy and facilitate the opening of bank accounts in the names of the entities.
ICPC Identifies Weaknesses in Government Verification
The commission identified weaknesses in civil service procedures as a major factor that allowed the purported agency to obtain official approvals.
According to the ICPC, the OHCSF’s standard operating procedure did not sufficiently require newly established federal institutions to submit relevant establishment documents. It also identified inadequate mechanisms for vetting and verifying documents presented by such organisations.
The self-accounting status granted by the OAGF was particularly significant, the commission said, because it allowed the purported council to operate within government financial reporting structures and strengthened its dealings with other government institutions.
The findings provide a clearer picture of how the organisation allegedly moved from one government institution to another, securing official responses and administrative recognition despite lacking a legal basis for its establishment.
The purported agency was also listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a N1.3 billion allocation, although Adeyemi later denied preparing the budget.
Adeyemi has denied wrongdoing and maintained that his appointment was legitimate. He is facing an eight-count charge bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.
The presidency, meanwhile, has maintained that neither the PFIPC nor Adeyemi received official recognition under the Tinubu administration.
The ICPC has recommended administrative action against Abu, Achem, Akhigbe and Abdullahi over their alleged roles in the matter.