The Director-General of the self-styled Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, has written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressing concerns over his personal safety, questioning the circumstances surrounding the death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola—whom he describes as an intermediary in the matter—and calling for the expansion of the ongoing investigation into the PFIPC controversy.
In the letter dated July 13, 2026, Matthew welcomed President Tinubu’s directive instructing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the alleged PFIPC scandal and the reported ₦1.3 billion allocation inserted into the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
While describing the presidential directive as an important first step, Matthew argued that the current investigative framework may not be sufficient to guarantee public confidence in the outcome. He contended that the investigation should extend beyond existing institutional structures to ensure what he described as greater transparency and impartiality.
Matthew also claimed that concerns for his personal safety have prevented him from presenting himself to authorities. According to him, he fears that doing so under the present circumstances would expose him to significant security risks.
He further raised questions about the reported death of Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, whom he identified as a key intermediary in the matter. Matthew questioned official accounts of Tanimola’s death in a fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Utako, Abuja, and called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding both the incident and the subsequent demolition of the hotel, which he argued should be examined as part of a broader inquiry.
Citing these concerns, Matthew said he is communicating from an undisclosed location and appealed to the President to establish an independent, multi-stakeholder investigative panel to oversee the probe.
He proposed that the panel include representatives from civil society organisations such as Amnesty International and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), independent media organisations, international financial institutions including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), diplomatic observers from the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, ECOWAS and the African Union, as well as statutory anti-corruption agencies including the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Matthew stated that he would be prepared to present documents and other evidence once such an independent panel is constituted.
He argued that broadening the investigation would strengthen public confidence in the process and demonstrate Nigeria’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
