Nigeria’s President Orders Major Corruption Probe After Alleged Fake Government Agency Emerges Inside Presidency
Nigeria has been thrown into another high-profile corruption scandal after President ordered an immediate investigation into allegations that a fictitious government agency was established within the Presidency and allegedly operated with apparent official recognition while securing a budget allocation of 1.3 billion naira (approximately $950,000).
The controversy centres on the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an organisation allegedly created using forged government documents and presented to the public as an official federal agency responsible for attracting foreign investment into Nigeria. Authorities insist that no such agency was ever lawfully established by the Federal Government.
The Nigerian Presidency disclosed that the appointment letter purportedly signed by the President’s Chief of Staff, , was forged. According to officials, forensic examinations conducted by investigators confirmed that the signature on the document was fake, raising serious concerns over how the organisation managed to gain credibility within government circles.
The alleged mastermind, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently being sought by Nigerian police on allegations including forgery, impersonation and several related offences. Before reportedly going into hiding, Adeyemi maintained his innocence during interviews with local media, insisting that the council had been legally established in 2024 to promote foreign investment into Nigeria.
He further alleged that some senior government officials demanded bribes during the process of his appointment before later attempting to take control of the council’s finances. The Presidency has firmly rejected those claims, describing the organisation as entirely fictitious.
Although the council reportedly had only three employees, investigators have revealed that it appeared to function like a legitimate federal institution. Reports indicate that it secured office space within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, established multiple bank accounts and was even listed in Nigeria’s 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation of approximately 1.3 billion naira.
Despite those developments, the Office of the Accountant-General has stated that the council never operated an official account with the Central Bank of Nigeria and did not receive any government funds, salaries or financial disbursements.
Responding swiftly to the controversy, President Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to launch a full-scale investigation and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.
The investigation will examine allegations involving forged appointment letters and official government documents, attempts to obtain official recognition through false representations, alleged requests for diplomatic support and visa facilitation using fake credentials, the opening of multiple bank accounts with allegedly forged documentation, and the possible involvement of public officials, private individuals, financial institutions or intermediaries who may have facilitated the scheme.
The President also instructed investigators to determine how an organisation that allegedly had no legal existence managed to project itself as a recognised government institution, while identifying weaknesses within Nigeria’s public administrative systems that may have been exploited.
The case has generated widespread public concern across Nigeria, with civil society organisations, opposition politicians and senior legal practitioners calling for a transparent and independent investigation to restore confidence in government institutions.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to accountability, President Tinubu stressed that the credibility and integrity of the Presidency and Nigeria’s public institutions must be safeguarded against forgery, impersonation, abuse of official identity and corruption.
He declared that every individual found responsible would face the full weight of the law, emphasizing that no one would be shielded from prosecution if found culpable as investigators work to unravel one of the country’s most extraordinary alleged cases of government impersonation.
