…Head of Service admits due diligence failure
Fresh revelations emerged on Wednesday at the resumed hearing of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the unestablished Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), as lawmakers heard that Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the controversial council, personally collected a letter from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) conveying an administrative code that had been addressed to the Permanent Secretary, State House.
The disclosure came as the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) admitted it failed to carry out sufficient due diligence before issuing an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver to the agency, a lapse it conceded prevented the early detection of forged documents allegedly used to secure government approvals for the council.
The day’s proceedings also featured intense exchanges between members of the committee and senior government officials over what lawmakers described as a chain of forged documents, procedural failures and administrative lapses that enabled the controversial council to gain recognition within parts of government.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi , is probing the circumstances surrounding the existence and operations of the PFIPC and how it found its way into the Federal Government budget framework despite questions over its legal status.
Accountant-General’s Office explains issuance of administrative code
Appearing before the committee, former Director of Consolidated Accounts in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Joshua Luka, now Director of Federal Projects/Financial Management Department, explained that his office received what purported to be an official request from the State House asking for an administrative code for the agency.
According to him, the letter was signed “for Permanent Secretary” by one Akanbi Adewale, who described himself as Director of Administration and Support Services.
Luka said that, based on established civil service procedure, the office processed the request and issued an administrative code.
However, he stressed that the response conveying the code was deliberately addressed to the Permanent Secretary, State House, and not to the purported agency.
“As part of our due diligence, what we did was to convey the administrative code to the Permanent Secretary, State House and not to the so-called agency,” he told lawmakers.
He explained that the idea was simple: if the request did not originate from the State House, the Permanent Secretary would immediately detect the fraud. PFIPC probe: Hearing resumes as alleged DG fails to appear before panel Arewa Think Tank knocks opposition over calls for Tinubu’s resignation over PFIPC probe UPDATED: Police arrest ‘fake PFIPC’ DG, Adeyemi, in Osun
“The idea behind this or the justification behind this was so that if it is not from there, the whole thing will be unravelled. That is the normal thing done in the service,” he added.
Committee says State House office never existed
But Gagdi immediately challenged Luka’s testimony, informing him that committee investigations had established that neither the office of Director of Administration and Support Services nor the official identified as Akanbi Adewale exists within the State House.
The chairman repeatedly cautioned witnesses against implying that the State House was responsible for the controversy.
“You people should not mention the State House in this matter,” Gagdi said.
According to him, investigations had shown that a non-existent office was used to obtain an administrative code, which subsequently paved the way for the council’s appearance in the federal budget.
The chairman said Nigerians had unfairly accused both the State House and the National Assembly of smuggling the agency into the Appropriation Act, when emerging evidence suggested that forged documents had manipulated administrative processes across government institutions.
“How did Adeyemi get the letter?”
The hearing took a dramatic turn when Gagdi repeatedly demanded to know how a letter addressed to the Permanent Secretary, State House, eventually found its way into Adeyemi’s hands.
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News Credit to our media partner The Nation .
