Adeyemi Pledges Cooperation As ICPC Probes PFIPC Scandal

The embattled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has pledged to cooperate fully with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into the controversial agency.

Adeyemi made the commitment on Tuesday during an Instagram interview with social media personality VeryDarkMan, just hours after the Presidency ordered the anti-corruption agency to investigate the activities of the purported council and submit its findings within 30 days.

He said he was prepared to provide security agencies with documents in his possession to assist ongoing investigations into the controversy surrounding the body.

“I am willing and ready to help security agencies or any panel set up by Mr President to unravel the truth,” Adeyemi said.

“In fact, any moment from now, I will go to the DSS or the police to submit all the documents I have to help them investigate and look into this matter.”

According to him, the documents would help investigators establish the facts surrounding the council.
“They should authenticate them. They should verify them. They should unravel the truth,” he added.
Adeyemi also questioned how the PFIPC, which the Presidency has insisted was never established by the Federal Government, appeared in the 2026 national budget.

“When the Presidency, through the Chief of Staff, said the agency does not exist, I wondered how an agency that found its way into the national budget could suddenly be described as fake,” he said.
He maintained that he had no role in the budget process, explaining that he was in detention while the 2026 Appropriation Bill was being prepared.

“I was in detention for 23 days during the period the budget was being prepared. I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf. That is why I am confused about how the agency found its way into the national budget,” he stated.

Responding to allegations involving the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, Adeyemi declined to make further accusations, insisting instead on an independent investigation.

“I wouldn’t say he’s lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s telling the truth. That is why I requested that Mr President set up an investigative panel to unravel the truth, so we will know those involved,” he said.

Adeyemi further alleged that he survived an attack by gunmen near Zuma Rock in September 2025 and maintained that his involvement with the council was motivated solely by a desire to attract foreign investment into Nigeria.

“I don’t really have a negative plan. It’s all about passion for the country. That agency is to bring foreign investors to Nigeria and make Nigeria a preferred destination for investment,” he said.

The development comes after President Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate the operations of the alleged council, the circumstances surrounding its establishment, and all related matters, with a directive to submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.

The President also instructed the commission to investigate the alleged use of forged appointment letters and official government documents by Adeyemi to obtain official recognition, diplomatic support, visa facilitation, and to open multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies.

The directive followed sustained calls by civil society organisations, opposition figures and senior lawyers for an independent probe into how the council allegedly operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex, secured Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) accounts, appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation of N1.3 billion, and interacted with diplomatic missions despite the absence of any enabling law or presidential approval.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, counsel to Adeyemi, had also questioned how the council found its way into the national budget if the appointment letter was indeed forged, urging investigators to probe both Adeyemi and Gbajabiamila.

However, the Presidency has distanced itself from the alleged scheme, insisting that the PFIPC was never created by the Federal Government. It also stated that forensic analysis conducted by the police confirmed that the signature on Adeyemi’s appointment letter was forged.