Jelili Gbadamosi
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to produce the council’s Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, within 48 hours as it intensifies its probe into the agency’s legal status and operations.
The directive was issued on Monday during the committee’s resumed investigative hearing, with lawmakers insisting that Adeyemi’s testimony is crucial to determining whether the PFIPC was lawfully established.
The committee fixed Wednesday for the appearance of the PFIPC boss before the panel.
“The Director-General must be produced before this committee within 48 hours to answer questions relating to the ongoing investigation into the activities of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council,” the committee said.
Lawmakers said the investigation seeks to establish the authenticity of the council and clarify the circumstances surrounding its creation and activities.
Adeyemi is currently in police custody after he was arrested in Osun State following a bench warrant issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged forgery and impersonation charges filed by the Nigeria Police Force.
The PFIPC has been under public scrutiny in recent months after Adeyemi accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of corruption involving budgetary allocations allegedly linked to the council.
The allegations prompted President Bola Tinubu to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the claims and submit its findings within 30 days.
The controversy has also drawn reactions from opposition figures, policy analysts and civil society organisations, who have called for a thorough investigation into how the agency allegedly appeared in the Federal Government’s budget, secured office space within the Federal Secretariat and reportedly operated domiciliary accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria despite questions over its legal status.
