The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the activities of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has summoned the SGF, George Akume, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, and some ministers to appear before it
The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the activities of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has summoned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, the Inspector-General of Police, and some ministers to appear before it over the operations of the alleged fictitious government agency.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Yusuf Gagdi (APC Plateau), also directed the appearance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, the Accountant-General of the Federation, as well as the heads of the Budget Office of the Federation, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
The directive followed fresh revelations at the committee’s public hearing on Monday, where the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) admitted opening two foreign currency domiciliary accounts linked to the PFIPC, despite earlier claims by the Accountant-General of the Federation that no such accounts existed.
The committee is probing the existence and operations of the PFIPC, which lawmakers described as a fictitious agency that allegedly obtained privileges reserved for legitimate government institutions.
Representing the CBN, Director of Banking Services, Hamisu Ibrahim, told the panel that the apex bank opened one United States dollar account and one British pound sterling account after receiving a formal mandate from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
“On July 30, 2025, we received a mandate dated July 29, 2025, from the Office of the Accountant-General. We received the mandate to authorise two accounts, one a US dollar domiciliary account, the other a pound domiciliary account, for the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council,” Ibrahim said.
He explained that the bank acted in line with its standard operating procedures, which require an official mandate from the Accountant-General before government accounts are opened.
“The process of opening an account requires a mandate from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. Once we receive that mandate, we perform all the necessary verifications to confirm that this mandate is actually coming from that office.
“The department that handles the mandate is different from the department that actually does the account opening,” he added.
According to Ibrahim, although the accounts were successfully opened, they were never activated because the bank did not receive the required signatories or documentation.
“We did not receive any correspondence, mandate, signature or mandate cards. We were not introduced to the authorising or approving officers.
“Based on that, those accounts remain inactive, with zero balance. There have been no foreign exchange allocations.
“The accounts have maintained zero balance from inception to date and have never recorded any inflow or outflow,” he said, noting that the account statements had been submitted to the committee.
The CBN’s testimony contradicted an earlier submission by Accountant-General, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, who had informed lawmakers that no accounts had been opened in the name of the PFIPC.
Also appearing before the panel, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, denied claims that her office allocated office accommodation to the council.
She told lawmakers that records showed the office space reportedly occupied by the PFIPC at the Federal Secretariat Phase III had been officially allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).
“There is speculation that the council occupied office space in the Federal Secretariat Phase III. We can state categorically that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation did not allocate any office space to the council.
“The office space indicated as the council’s official address forms part of the office accommodation allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for the use of the OSGF and presidential bodies,” she said.
Walson-Jack, however, disclosed that during the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence Exercise, the council submitted documents through one Patricia Akhigbe, including the appointment letter of its Director-General and details of its mandate.
She explained that based on those submissions, the council’s request was processed alongside those of 87 other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), leading to the issuance of an authorised establishment for 314 positions and a subsequent recruitment waiver.
She added that Akhigbe had since been invited for questioning by the police, stressing that her office neither deployed personnel to the council nor approved any recruitment, and urged lawmakers to direct further inquiries to the Office of the SGF.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday appeared before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to testify in the ongoing investigation into the activities of the PFIPC.
Ruling at the end of the hearing, Committee Chairman Rep. Gagdi said the appearance of the SGF and other top government officials had become necessary to clarify issues arising from the testimonies presented before the panel.
“In continuation of this assignment, the secretariat should invite the SGF to appear and brief this committee on the issues raised.
“Also to appear on Thursday are the Inspector-General of Police, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Minister of Budget and National Planning.
“Also invited are the Accountant-General of the Federation, heads of the Budget Office of the Federation, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission,” Rep. Gagdi directed.
