President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to carry out a full-scale investigation into the activities of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).
The directive was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the President ordered the anti-graft agency to conclude its investigation and submit a comprehensive report within 30 days.
“The directive follows the discovery of the fictitious PFIPC, which was never established by the Federal Government of Nigeria and has no basis in any law, presidential instrument, executive approval, or other lawful act of Government.
“One Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as the Director-General of the so-called PFIPC and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.
“Among the issues to be investigated by the ICPC are the forged appointment letters and other official government documents; the use of a false claim of presidential appointment to seek or obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation; and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents,” the statement said.
President Tinubu also directed the ICPC to investigate not only the actions of the principal suspect and any collaborators but also the broader circumstances that may have allowed the fictitious body and false claim of presidential appointment to gain an appearance of legitimacy.
“The investigation is to examine the provenance and use of false official documents; the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained; the opening and operation of any related bank accounts; the source and movement of any funds involved; and the role of any public officer, private individual, financial institution, intermediary or other person or entity that may have facilitated, enabled or participated in the alleged scheme.”
The President further instructed the commission to identify weaknesses in government and institutional procedures that may have been exploited and recommend immediate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“All ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government have been directed to provide the ICPC, upon lawful request, with all relevant information, records and assistance required for the expeditious completion of the investigation.”
Tinubu stressed that the integrity of the Presidency and federal institutions must be safeguarded against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses within the public service.
The President also directed that anyone found culpable at the end of the investigation should face the full weight of the law.
