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), obtain government approvals and gain access to official financial and administrative systems.

The findings are contained in an ICPC interim investigation report on the PFIPC saga. The investigation was ordered by President Bola Tinubu after the presidency disowned the organisation and Adeyemi.

According to the ICPC, the purported agency's ability to penetrate government structures went beyond the forged documents allegedly presented by Adeyemi. It also depended on the actions of officials in several government institutions who processed its requests and facilitated approvals despite gaps in the required procedures.

Adeyemi reportedly 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.

He supported the applications with purported official documents, including an appointment letter, an establishment instrument and a letter on State House letterhead allegedly signed by one Akanbi Adewale. Investigators found that Akanbi Adewale did not exist, while forensic examination reportedly showed that the letter attributed to him was actually signed by Adeyemi.

Despite these irregularities, the documents were used to process the applications. On 27 May 2025, the OAGF granted the organisation self-accounting status and assigned it administrative code 0111062001, alongside authorised establishment and recruitment waiver arrangements.

The approvals enabled the purported PFIPC to secure a place in the 2026 federal budget and gain access to government financial systems. The OAGF subsequently created a Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform and a Sub-Treasury Account for the organisation.

Acting on a request from PFIPC, the OAGF also issued a mandate to the CBN for the creation of two domiciliary accounts. The CBN later told the House of Representatives that the accounts were never activated because the purported agency failed to provide authorised signatories.

The ICPC investigation also examined the roles of three civil servants in securing an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver for the PFIPC: 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. According to the ICPC, Achem introduced Akhigbe to Abu as the head of human resources of the PFIPC, even though Akhigbe was an assistant director in the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

Investigators said the introduction was made to facilitate the purported council's application for authorised establishment and recruitment waiver. The ICPC found that Achem, Akhigbe and Abu subsequently facilitated the approvals through the OHCSF. The investigation also found that Adeyemi paid Akhigbe N500,000 during Easter in 2025. The payment was described in the evidence as a "thank you for your support."

The authorised establishment was reportedly granted on the same day the three officials met, according to the ICPC. Investigators found no evidence that the PFIPC had formally applied for an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver. Instead, Abu, Achem and Akhigbe allegedly proceeded with the approvals outside the required process.

When investigators requested the relevant file from the OHCSF, the office reportedly said it was missing. The ICPC also examined Abu's role because her department is responsible for authorised establishment, manpower requirements and recruitment waivers for federal government organisations.

Under the standard procedure, newly established government organisations seeking authorisation are expected to submit documents showing their mandate and establishment instruments, as well as the appointment letter of the head of the organisation. 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, said to have been issued by the Chief of Staff to the President, as an "aberration." She told investigators she could not recall another government organisation presenting an appointment letter signed by the Chief of Staff. When the PFIPC could not upload the required documents through the OHCSF portal, its representatives submitted physical copies of the controversial appointment letter and the organisation's purported enabling instruments.

The ICPC also found that although the PFIPC requested the deployment of staff in a letter dated 9 May 2025, the OHCSF neither approved nor effected any deployment. Evidence from the Enterprise Content Management System showed that no officers were deployed to the PFIPC by the OHCSF.

The commission also investigated how Adeyemi obtained an office at the Federal Secretariat. Investigators examined the role of Aminu Abdullahi, the official responsible for office allocation within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

According to the investigation, Abdullahi was introduced to Adeyemi in March 2025 by Ibrahim Abdulkadir, a deputy director in General Services. The introduction was intended to guide Adeyemi through the process of obtaining office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat.

The ICPC found that Abdullahi allocated offices previously occupied by former Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Doyin Salami, at the Federal Secretariat Phase III for temporary use by the PFIPC without written approval.

Only two keys were available for the allocated offices. The investigation found that Abdullahi broke the locks on the remaining doors to give Adeyemi access to the other office spaces. The financial trail also raised questions. An analysis of Abdullahi's bank statement showed that he received N3.25 million from Adeyemi in three tranches between March and November 2025, according to the ICPC.

The investigation also uncovered another suspected fake agency, the National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, which allegedly operated within the OSGF. President Bola Tinubu subsequently ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries and the arrest of the alleged promoter, George Buchi Nwabueze.

ICPC Chairman Musa Aliyu said investigators also found that Nwabueze operated under several variations of his name and that there were suspected collaborators within the OSGF. The commission said forged legislative instruments were allegedly used to give the entities an appearance of legitimacy and facilitate the opening of bank accounts in their names.

The emergence of another purported agency within a federal government office has expanded the scandal beyond the PFIPC and raised fresh questions about weaknesses in the verification and oversight mechanisms that allow individuals and organisations to present themselves as legitimate government entities.

The ICPC investigation identified weaknesses in existing civil service procedures that allegedly enabled the purported organisation to obtain official approvals. The commission said the OHCSF's standard operating procedure did not adequately require newly established federal institutions to submit relevant establishment documents. It also found insufficient mechanisms for vetting and verifying documents presented by such organisations.

The self-accounting status granted by the OAGF was particularly significant because it enabled the purported council to operate within government financial reporting structures and became an important document in its dealings with other government institutions.

The newspaper had previously reported that the purported agency secured office accommodation at the Federal Secretariat, obtained access to CBN accounts and interacted with government officials who believed they were dealing with a legitimate federal institution.

The 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 has maintained that neither the PFIPC nor Adeyemi received official recognition under the Tinubu administration. The ICPC has by Linda Ikeji at 27/08/2026 7:56 AM |