The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged illegal establishment of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has summoned the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to explain how the council allegedly continued operating despite official warnings that it lacked legal backing.
The lawmakers specifically asked the NSA to account for why his office failed to stop the activities of the PFIPC and its promoter, Prince Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, after confirming that neither the council nor its alleged Director-General was recognised by the Federal Government.
The summons followed the submission of a memorandum by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dunoma Umar Ahmed, who told the committee that the ministry had no official dealings with the PFIPC and instead raised concerns over its legitimacy after noticing irregularities in its correspondence.
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 on three occasions—in June and August 2025 and again in June 2026—seeking the ministry’s collaboration and endorsement for a proposed World Investment Summit in Nigeria.
He said the ministry declined all the requests after carrying out due diligence and identifying discrepancies in the documents submitted, as well as concerns surrounding the legitimacy of both the council and its alleged Director-General.
According to Ahmed, the ministry subsequently wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser on October 16, 2025, seeking clarification on Prince Adeyemi’s status. In a reply dated November 26, 2025, the NSA reportedly stated that enquiries with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President confirmed that Prince Matthew Adeyemi was unknown to any office of the Federal Government.
The Permanent Secretary further told lawmakers that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs never engaged the PFIPC in any official capacity and did not participate in any of its diplomatic activities.
During the hearing, committee member Abubakar Hassan Fulata questioned why the ministry did not expressly inform Prince Adeyemi that the organisation had no legal status after receiving confirmation from the NSA.
Responding, Committee Chairman Yusuf Gagdi said the ministry had acted appropriately by referring the matter to the National Security Adviser, but insisted that the security office must now explain what actions it took after establishing that the council was illegal.
He also questioned how the alleged council was able to conduct engagements with foreign diplomats despite lacking official recognition, describing the development as a serious breakdown in coordination among government institutions.
According to Gagdi, it was unacceptable for an unrecognised organisation to obtain documents, interact with public institutions and carry out diplomatic engagements without being stopped by the relevant authorities.
The committee also issued a final ultimatum to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that failed to honour its invitation, directing their chief executives and accounting officers to appear personally before the panel with all relevant documents at the next sitting.
Gagdi warned that invitations issued by the House of Representatives are backed by Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution and are therefore legally binding.
He cautioned that any ministry, department or agency that fails to appear without lawful justification would face constitutional and statutory sanctions, stressing that the committee would invoke all available legal powers to compel compliance.
The committee also rejected the representative sent by the Ministry of Finance, insisting that only the ministry’s accounting officer would be allowed to appear before the panel.
The investigation was adjourned until Thursday, July 23, 2026, when the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other defaulting agencies are expected to appear before the committee with the requested documents.
