Fresh documents have cast doubt on the Presidency's claim that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council never existed. According to a report by Saturday Punch, papers from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation show staff received, logged and handled official letters bearing the council's name months before authorities publicly branded it a fake agency.
The files include a letter revealing that the OSGF passed along an accommodation request from Adeniyi Adeyemi, who styled himself the council's director-general. He was seeking office space from recovered Federal Government properties under the control of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri, the permanent secretary in the General Services Office, signed the forwarding letter on November 21, 2024, acting for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Adeyemi's original request, dated November 7, 2024, arrived at the OSGF nine days before being sent to the EFCC.
Registry documents show the OSGF received Adeyemi's request on November 12. The forwarding letter identified the application as one of three from government institutions seeking office space in recovered properties.
The OSGF's correspondence described Adeyemi's application using the reference number SH/DG/PFIPC/RQ/107. The letter instructed the EFCC to handle the request and take appropriate steps.
Adeyemi presented the council as a Federal Government body tasked with drawing foreign direct investment into Nigeria. He portrayed it as the nation's focal point for investment promotion activities and a single gateway for investors seeking opportunities.
In his letter, he outlined the council's purported role in bridging the public and private sectors. According to him, it pushed policy changes, marketed Nigeria to foreign investors and worked across government ministries and agencies.
Adeyemi claimed the council gathered investment information and served as the national hub for such data. He said it coordinated support for both prospective and existing investors.
The council's stated vision was making Nigeria the world's top investment destination, he wrote. Its mission involved spotting, marketing and enabling private sector investment capable of generating employment and boosting economic growth.
"The Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council attracts and maximises the flow of foreign direct investments into Nigeria, and encourages existing foreign investors to further expand and develop their businesses," the letter stated.
The documents emerged as Adeyemi faces prosecution over allegations of running a non-existent government agency. The Presidency has accused him of forging presidential authority to establish the council.
