We rejected PFIPC request for collaboration – Foreign Ministry

The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) that it rejected the organisation's requests for collaboration after discovering discrepancies in documents submitted by its self-proclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.

Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, the ministry's Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, said the ministry had no official relationship with the PFIPC and had never recognised it as a government agency.

Ahmed told lawmakers that Prince Adeyemi approached the ministry on three occasions—June 26, 2025, August 5, 2025, and June 5, 2026—seeking endorsement and collaboration to organise a World Investment Summit in Nigeria.

He explained that the ministry declined each request after due diligence revealed inconsistencies in the documents and correspondence submitted by the alleged council.

"The ministry has never had any official interaction or engagement with the PFIPC or its alleged Director-General. We declined the requests because of discrepancies observed in the documents presented to us," Ahmed said.

The permanent secretary further disclosed that the ministry wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on October 16, 2025, seeking clarification on the status of Prince Adeyemi and the PFIPC.

According to him, ONSA responded on November 26, 2025, stating that enquiries with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President confirmed that neither Prince Adeyemi nor the PFIPC was recognised by the Federal Government.

Ahmed also informed the committee that the ministry never participated in any diplomatic, bilateral, or multilateral engagement organised by the alleged council. He added that no memorandum of understanding or agreement with any foreign government had been signed through the PFIPC and that the organisation never facilitated any foreign investors, partners, or delegations through the ministry.

Lawmakers, however, questioned why the ministry did not formally notify Prince Adeyemi after receiving confirmation that the PFIPC was not recognised by the Federal Government. In response, Ahmed said the ministry did not communicate further with him after receiving the security report.

Following the presentation, the committee summoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Adviser to appear before it on Thursday.

Committee Chairman, Rep. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, said the NSA would be expected to explain what actions were taken after confirming that the PFIPC was not recognised by the Federal Government.

"If they confirmed it was an illegal agency, they should tell Nigerians what they did thereafter," Gagdi said.

He also questioned how the alleged council was able to carry out activities resembling official diplomatic engagements, describing the situation as a serious institutional failure.

The committee further resolved to invite the Presidential Economic Advisory Council after observing that Prince Adeyemi's letterhead identified him as Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.