…give MDAs 48-hour deadline
Nigerian lawmakers investigating the alleged creation of a fictitious government agency say they have uncovered evidence that the organisation operated with forged presidential documents, official office space and bank accounts, as they gave ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) a final 48 hours to produce records linked to the scandal.
The House of Representatives ad hoc committee is probing how the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency the presidency says was never legally established, secured a 1.32 billion naira allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Since beginning its investigation this week, the committee has heard that the alleged mastermind, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, used forged appointment letters, fake presidential seals and falsified signatures to present himself as the council’s director-general.
The presidency has also said he succeeded in obtaining office space inside the Federal Secretariat in Abuja and opening accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria and dozens of commercial banks under the council’s name.
Lawmakers are also examining how the non-existent agency was inserted into the federal budget and whether public officials facilitated the process or failed to detect irregularities during budget preparation and implementation.
Committee Chairman Yusuf Gagdi on Tuesday said several ministries, departments and agencies had yet to honour invitations or submit documents requested by the panel, prompting lawmakers to issue a 48-hour ultimatum for compliance.
He warned that agencies failing to appear within the deadline would face constitutional sanctions, including compulsory summons, as the committee moves to determine how the phantom agency gained official recognition and access to public funds.
The House investigation runs alongside separate probes ordered by President Bola Tinubu and anti-graft agencies into what has become one of Nigeria’s most significant public administration scandals in recent years.
