The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has raised concerns over documents allegedly listing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and several senior government officials as members of the organisation’s governing board.
The chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, raised the concerns on Thursday during an investigative hearing where lawmakers questioned the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, over the agency’s issuance of seven vehicle number plates to the PFIPC.
The lawmakers questioned why the FRSC approved the number plates despite what they described as irregularities in documents submitted by the organisation.
Gagdi said the purported governing board of the PFIPC included President Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation and several ministers.
According to the committee chairman, the presence of the President and senior members of his cabinet on the purported list should have prompted the FRSC to independently verify the organisation’s status with the Presidency and other relevant government institutions.
He also questioned why the agency accepted a purported mandate from an organisation whose documents allegedly lacked official government security features.
“We are trying to expose the leakages so that agencies can close these gaps going forward. It is not to indict anybody,” Gagdi said.
Responding to the lawmakers, FRSC Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed defended the agency’s actions, saying the commission followed its standard operating procedures during the application and verification process.
Mohammed said the FRSC received the PFIPC’s application on April 4, 2025, followed by a reminder dated April 11. Both documents were reportedly signed by Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi.
He said the application contained documents purporting to establish the council, outlining its mandate and governing structure, as well as information about the vehicles for which the official number plates were requested.
According to Mohammed, FRSC officials also checked the organisation’s website, which operated on a federal government domain, and visited its office at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja.
He said the website and physical office gave the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate federal government organisation.
The FRSC chief added that the agency verified the chassis numbers of the vehicles before approving the number plates.
However, Mohammed said the agency was later surprised to discover that the PFIPC was not an authorised federal government agency.
He disclosed that the FRSC had commenced the retrieval of all official number plates issued to the organisation and strengthened its verification procedures to prevent a recurrence.
The investigation follows an earlier recommendation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for the prosecution of Adeniyi, who has been accused of operating the PFIPC.
Adeniyi reportedly claimed that Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Tinubu, issued his appointment letter. Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, denied the allegation.
The ICPC reportedly cleared the Presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria of wrongdoing but identified institutional lapses across several ministries, departments and agencies.
Among the institutions cited were the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)…..see more