The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged establishment of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PFIPC, without legal backing has summoned the National Security Adviser, NSA, and Minister of Foreign Affairs to explain how the council allegedly operated despite concerns over its legitimacy.

The NSA was particularly summoned to explain why his office did not stop the promoter of PFIPC, Prince Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, from progressing with the agency after the Foreign Affairs Ministry exposed it as an illegal entity.

The committee also issued a final ultimatum to some concerned Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to appear before it tomorrow.

The summons followed the submission of a memorandum by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Dunoma Umar Ahmed, which stated that the ministry had no official dealings with the council and had, instead, sought clarification from the Office of the National Security Adviser after detecting irregularities in its correspondence.

Appearing before the panel yesterday with a letter dated July 21, 2026, Ahmed disclosed that Prince Adeyemi, who presented himself as Director-General of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PEAC/PFIPC, approached the ministry three times seeking its collaboration and endorsement to organise a World Investment Summit in Nigeria.

The ministry said the requests were received on June 26, 2025, August 5, 2025, and June 5, 2026, but were not acted upon.

“Guided by extant rules and regulations as well as the necessity of carrying out due diligence before obliging any request, the ministry did not take any action on the requests.

“The ministry’s refusal to oblige the requests was further necessitated by some of the discrepancies observed in the letters submitted by Prince Adeyemi and the ongoing investigation on the legitimacy of the PFIPC and the personality of its alleged Director-General,” the letter read.

The ministry further revealed that it wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser on October 16, 2025, seeking clarification on the status of Prince Adeyemi.

According to the ministry, the NSA responded on November 26, 2025, indicating that enquiries made with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President showed that “Prince Mathew Adeyemi is unknown to any office of the Federal Government.”

Ahmed also categorically informed the committee that the ministry had no relationship with the council, adding that “the ministry did not participate in any diplomatic engagement, bilateral and multilateral discussions held by the PFIPC.

“The ministry has never had any official interaction or engagement with the PFIPC or its alleged Director-General.”

Questioning the ministry’s response, a committee member, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, queried why stronger measures were not taken after the ministry received confirmation that the council lacked legal recognition.

“After confirming from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff to Mr President that this entity does not exist legally, did you communicate to the so-called Director-General that this organisation is illegal and that you should not interact with it any further?” Fulata queried.

Responding to the concerns, the committee chairman said the ministry had acted appropriately by referring the matter to the National Security Adviser but insisted that the security office must now account for what followed.

“The Office of the National Security Adviser should appear before this committee and explain that aspect.

“Foreign Affairs received correspondences from this agency under investigation. They noticed discrepancies and requested the Office of the NSA to find out the status of the agency. The NSA responded that it is an illegal agency.

“What has the Office of the NSA done as a security office after discovering that the agency does not exist? I think they should have taken action, so they should tell us the action they have taken.”

Lawmakers also questioned how the alleged council was able to engage foreign diplomats, despite the ministry’s position that it had no dealings with it.

The committee chairman said the issue exposed weaknesses in coordination among government institutions.

“Our responsibility is to make laws. Then a strange agency that is supposed to do our function is introduced to us. We notice discrepancies, report to the NSA, the NSA responds that the agency is illegal, then all of a sudden we see the agency engaging foreign nationals in diplomatic functions that need to be coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.

Describing the situation as unacceptable, he added: “Somebody will outsmart agencies, form a fake agency, get documents and approvals from agencies, conduct diplomatic engagements with foreign nationals. I think this is a big insult on the Nigerian people.”

Responding on behalf of the ministry, the Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ministry acknowledged that some organisations occasionally bypass established diplomatic channels.

“Sometimes, we find that some of these organisations engage in direct missions without the permission of the Ministry.

“We always send circulars to inform them that it is necessary to follow the laid-down channels of communication,” he said.

While commending the ministry for providing useful information, the committee maintained that the investigation is far from over.

“You have done well by giving us the fundamentals of what you understand and the effort the ministry has made. We cannot say that you have not given us information that will help us,” the committee chairman added. He, however, reminded the ministry that “the Minister of Foreign Affairs still has to appear here on Thursday,” and directed the committee secretariat to also invite the National Security Adviser to answer questions arising from the ministry’s testimony.

Reps issue final ultimatum to concerned MDAs

Warning other MDAs connected with the scandal to appear before it tomorrow, the ad-hoc committee expressed disappointment over failure of most of the invited agencies to appear, warning that refusal to appear will attrct constitutional sanctions.Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, described the absence of the agencies as a serious affront on the constitutional oversight powers of the House of Representatives.

“The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating activities surrounding the alleged establishment and operations of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council wishes to express its profound disappointment over the failure of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government to honour its invitation and appear before the committee today.

“The committee views this misconduct as a very serious affront on the constitutional oversight powers of the House of Representatives and an unacceptable disregard for the authority of the Parliament, which represents the sovereign will of the Nigerian people,’’ he said.

The chairman stressed that invitations issued by committees of the House are backed by the constitution and are not optional.

“The invitations issued by a duly-constituted committee of the House of Representatives are not a matter of discretion. They are issued pursuant to the constitutional powers vested in the National Assembly under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). Therefore, it is a legal obligation, not an act of courtesy,” he said.

Gagdi announced that the committee had issued what he described as a final notice to the affected agencies, directing their chief executives and accounting officers to appear personally before the panel on Thursday (tomorrow) with all relevant documents.

“Thursday is the final opportunity for every defaulting agency to comply. We don’t want representation. We don’t want permanent secretaries. We want the accounting officers of the agencies to appear before us with all the relevant documents requested by the committee and any other documents they consider useful to this investigation,” he declared.

He warned that any agency that failed to appear without lawful justification would face the full weight of the law.

“Any ministry, department or agency that fails to appear without lawful justification will leave the committee with no alternative but to invoke every constitutional and statutory power available to us as the House of Representatives to compel compliance and ensure accountability.

“The committee will not hesitate to recommend and pursue every sanction permitted by law against any person or institution that deliberately obstructs or frustrates this investigation,” he said.

According to the chairman, the investigation is not targeted at any individual or institution but intended to establish the facts and safeguard constitutional governance.

“This investigation is in the national interest. It is not targeted at any individual or institution, but it is aimed at establishing the facts, protecting the integrity of public administration, guarding the rule of law and ensuring that no public officer or institution operates outside the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.

He further assured that the committee will carry out its assignment professionally and transparently, saying “the committee remains committed to conducting this assignment professionally, fairly, transparently and without fear or favour.

He said: “No agency of government, regardless of its status or perceived influence, will be permitted to undermine the constitutional authority of the House of Representatives or frustrate the discharge of its legislative responsibility.”

During the session, the committee also rejected the representative sent by the Ministry of Finance.

When the ministry’s representative introduced himself as the Deputy Director in the Cash Management Department, explaining that he had been delegated by the Minister of Finance, the committee ruled the appearance unacceptable, insisting that only the accounting officer of the ministry will be allowed to appear before it.

Before adjourning, the committee noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had appeared and raised issues relating to the Ministry of Finance, reinforcing the need for the finance ministry’s leadership to personally attend the next sitting.

The hearing was subsequently adjourned to Thursday, July 23, 2026, at noon, when the committee expects all defaulting agencies and their chief executives to appear with the required documents. (Vanguard)