FORGERY AT THE HEART OF FAKE PRESIDENCY AGENCY: AGF Reveals How Counterfeit State House Letter Created ‘PFIPC’.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Democracy Newsline Northern Bureau Chief
July 28, 2028
Forged presidential document allegedly used to secure government recognition, open official accounts, recruit staff and seek ₦27.4bn grant as House probe uncovers massive deception
ABUJA — A startling revelation before the House of Representatives has exposed what lawmakers describe as one of the most sophisticated cases of document forgery in recent years, after the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, disclosed that a fake State House letter was used to obtain official government recognition for the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).
- Advertisement -
The forged correspondence, which appeared authentic and carried a State House reference number, allegedly enabled the promoters of the non-existent agency to secure an administrative code, seek the opening of government bank accounts, recruit personnel, occupy office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and apply for a staggering ₦27.4 billion establishment grant. Despite the elaborate scheme, the Accountant-General told lawmakers that no public funds were eventually released to the organisation because its funding request failed to meet budgetary requirements.
The disclosure came on Monday during the ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee probing the establishment and activities of the controversial agency, which investigators believe operated for months using forged government approvals and counterfeit official documents.
Addressing the committee, Mr Ogunjimi explained that his office received a letter dated November 7, 2024, purportedly from the State House requesting the creation of an administrative code for what was described as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The request, he said, appeared genuine and complied with established administrative procedures.
Acting on the communication, the Office of the Accountant-General approved the administrative code to facilitate budgeting, accounting and financial reporting and subsequently communicated the approval to the State House while copying the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that the Presidency had never issued the document.
“The letter that was received by the Treasury was respectfully addressed as coming from the State House,” the AGF told lawmakers. “That letter was never issued by the State House.”
His testimony reinforced growing suspicions that forged presidential correspondence was deliberately deployed to deceive key government institutions into granting official recognition to an organisation that had no legal foundation.
Following the approval of the administrative code, the purported council allegedly submitted a series of additional requests to government agencies.
These included applications for self-accounting status, deployment of civil servants, approval to operate Treasury Single Account (TSA) facilities, opening of domiciliary accounts and requests for government funding.
Although several administrative requests were processed, the AGF insisted that strict financial controls prevented any disbursement of public funds.
“It is important to note that no funds were released under salaries, overhead, capital, intervention or any special allocation to the council,” he said.
He further disclosed that while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) opened two domiciliary accounts intended to receive foreign inflows, the accounts never became operational because the organisation failed to satisfy regulatory requirements necessary for activation.
Request Rejected
One of the most startling disclosures during the hearing was that the alleged council sought an establishment grant amounting to ₦27.4 billion.
The request, however, was rejected because there was no appropriation or budgetary provision authorising such expenditure.
The rejection, according to the AGF, ensured that no public money was transferred to the organisation despite its apparent success in navigating several layers of government bureaucracy.
The committee also examined how two federal civil servants originally posted to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President eventually became attached to the purported council.
Mr Ogunjimi explained that the officers, deployed in 2010 and 2013, remained in the office after the new organisation allegedly assumed control of its operations.
Neither the officers nor any supervising authority formally notified the Office of the Accountant-General that the office had changed identity.
“It was never assumed or written to us that those two officers were being taken over,” he explained.
“The staff also never reported that another council had taken over the office and that the name had changed. As far as we were concerned, we were dealing with a new agency.”
He added that the purported council later requested five additional personnel, but only three were approved because officials determined that the agency did not require the larger number requested.
“It was only when this matter came to light that I discovered two of our officers had actually been absorbed into the organisation,” he added.
The House committee is investigating allegations that forged presidential approvals, counterfeit State House correspondence, fake Acts of the National Assembly and other falsified government documents were systematically used to establish and operate both the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
Lawmakers believe the elaborate operation exposed serious weaknesses in document verification processes across several government institutions.
The committee has already received evidence from the Nigeria Police Force confirming that criminal charges bordering on conspiracy, forgery and fraud have been filed before the Federal High Court against the prime suspect, Adeyemi Adeniyi.
During Monday’s proceedings, lawmakers directed the Inspector-General of Police to ensure Mr Adeniyi appears before the committee by noon on Wednesday to answer questions concerning the alleged forgery of official government documents and the operations of the controversial agency.
The unfolding investigation has raised fresh concerns over vulnerabilities within Nigeria’s public administration, particularly the ease with which forged government correspondence allegedly passed through multiple official channels before its authenticity was questioned.
Observers say the case highlights the urgent need for stronger verification systems, enhanced inter-agency communication and the digitisation of official approvals to prevent similar schemes from undermining public institutions.
The House committee is expected to conclude its investigation in the coming weeks with recommendations that could include administrative sanctions, legislative reforms and criminal prosecution of individuals found culpable in what lawmakers have described as a carefully orchestrated fraud against the Nigerian state.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER 28TH JULY)
