Reps Probe: PFIPC DG Appointment Letter, Establishment Documents ‘Fake’

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged illegal establishment of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) says it has uncovered fake documents used to process government approvals.

Speaking after a hearing on Tuesday, committee chairman Hon. Yusuf Gagdi said investigations confirmed that the appointment letter presented for the purported Director-General of the PFIPC was not authentic.

According to him, evidence obtained from the Nigeria Police Force, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and other government institutions established that the letter issued to Prince Adeyemi was fake.

“You have clearly stated that you acted on false documents. The Head of Service has now established, just like we have, that the letter of appointment of the so-called DG is not only forged, it is fake,” Gagdi said.

He explained that forensic examinations by the police showed the signature on the document bore no resemblance to verified signatures from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

“If something is forged, there will be an attempt to imitate the signature. But in this case, the signatures are completely different. So I will not call it forged; I will say it is fake because the originator of that letter did not even attempt to imitate the signature of the Chief of Staff to the President,” he added.

The committee also alleged that the Establishment Act used to facilitate the creation of the council lacked essential features found in genuine legislation.

“Our Acts of the National Assembly have citation numbers, Gazette numbers, Gazette titles and other security features. The Act presented to the Head of Service had none of these features. It was totally mutilated,” Gagdi stated.

He further alleged that investigators discovered references to a fictitious department within the State House in documents submitted to several government agencies.

“We have equally discovered that the suspect created a fake office in the State House that does not exist at all. There is no Directorate of Administration and Support Services in the State House as reflected in the documents presented before government agencies,” he said.

According to Gagdi, the committee has largely concluded its investigation but will undertake additional verification before submitting its report.

He said preliminary findings indicate what appears to be a widespread pattern of document forgery and noted that further inquiries would be conducted into the alleged creation of the purported Department of Administration and Support Services in the State House.

The committee is expected to conclude consultations with the remaining agencies in closed-door sessions before unveiling its preliminary findings next week.

“The committee remains committed to conducting a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation in the interest of justice, accountability and the protection of public institutions,” Gagdi said.

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