Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-proclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, has denied allegations that he single-handedly created the disputed agency, insisting that several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government officially processed, recognised and engaged with the council.
Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, made the claims in a statement issued on Sunday through his legal team, led by Festus Akhigbe. The defence also urged the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the council to allow him to appear and testify in person.
According to the lawyers, denying Adeyemi the opportunity to testify would amount to a violation of his constitutional right to a fair hearing and could undermine the credibility of the committee’s final report.
The legal team rejected claims that their client acted alone in creating the agency, arguing that several government institutions had recognised and dealt with the council in an official capacity.
They alleged that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation acknowledged documents relating to the council and facilitated office allocation within the Federal Secretariat. They also claimed that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria processed official documentation, issued administrative budget codes, granted self-accounting status, posted civil servants to the council and opened operational accounts.
The lawyers further stated that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service approved the council’s organisational structure and granted recruitment waivers that enabled the employment of 314 personnel. They also alleged that heads of security agencies attended council programmes, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission allocated a property to the council, requested a processing fee and presented a plaque of recognition to its leadership.
The defence argued that if several government institutions processed, funded and interacted with the council over an extended period, it would be unreasonable to hold Adeyemi solely responsible for its existence. They maintained that he was being made a scapegoat for wider institutional failures and called for a broader investigation involving civil society, legal experts and independent observers to examine the actions of all agencies connected to the council.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives ad hoc committee continues its investigation. During the proceedings, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, acknowledged that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before approving recruitment requests linked to the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.