The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has been told that both the council and its purported Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, are not recognised as legal entities by the Federal Government.
Appearing before the committee, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, disclosed that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) had officially informed the ministry in November 2025 that neither the council nor its alleged Director-General was known to the Federal Government.
Ahmed explained that Prince Adeyemi approached the ministry on three occasions, seeking support and official endorsement to organise a World Investment Summit in Nigeria for the 2025 and 2026 editions.
According to him, the requests were received in June and August 2025, as well as June 2026, but the ministry declined to act on them after identifying inconsistencies in the submitted documents and conducting due diligence.
He stated that the ministry sought clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser regarding the status of the council and its Director-General.
In response, the ONSA informed the ministry that inquiries made with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President confirmed that Prince Adeyemi was unknown to any Federal Government office.
Ahmed further told lawmakers that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs never partnered with the council, participated in its activities, facilitated diplomatic engagements on its behalf, or signed any agreement connected to its operations.
He added that no Nigerian diplomatic mission had any dealings with the PFIPC, as no directive regarding the organisation was ever issued by the ministry.
The committee chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, questioned why further action was not taken after the ONSA reportedly established in 2025 that the council lacked official recognition.
He said the committee intends to determine whether the appropriate authorities acted on the information after the findings were made.
As part of the investigation, the committee summoned the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to appear before lawmakers to explain the actions taken following the discovery.
The panel also directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, to appear personally before the committee to provide further clarification on issues raised during the investigation.
Gagdi expressed concern over reports that the alleged council was able to interact with foreign embassies despite questions surrounding its legitimacy, describing the situation as damaging to Nigeria’s international image.
He reiterated the committee’s commitment to conducting a fair, transparent, and professional investigation while insisting that all invited public officials must appear in person rather than sending representatives.
The committee began its investigation earlier this week after its inauguration by the leadership of the House of Representatives.
During previous hearings, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation denied allocating office space to the alleged agency, while the Central Bank of Nigeria disclosed that two foreign currency accounts were opened in the council’s name but were never activated because the account opening process was not completed.
