Documents submitted to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) by the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIFC) have revealed that President Bola Tinubu, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume were listed as members of the organisation’s governing board.
The revelation emerged during the ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the activities of the alleged council and the circumstances surrounding the issuance of official government number plates to the organisation.
Appearing before the committee on Thursday, FRSC Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed confirmed that the documents containing the names of the President and other senior government officials formed part of the application submitted by the PFIFC while requesting official number plates.
According to the committee, the documents also listed several serving ministers and top government officials as members of the council’s governing board, raising concerns over the authenticity of the organisation and the verification process adopted before the request was approved.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, questioned why the inclusion of the President and other high-ranking officials did not prompt the FRSC to seek confirmation from the Presidency and relevant government institutions before issuing the number plates.
In his defence, Mohammed explained that the FRSC carried out its routine verification process, including inspecting the vehicles, confirming their chassis numbers, visiting the organisation’s office at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, and reviewing a government-domain website presented as evidence of the council’s legitimacy.
He noted that the Corps only discovered the organisation was not a recognised Federal Government agency after questions were raised over its activities.
The Corps Marshal disclosed that the FRSC has commenced steps to recover all official number plates issued to the organisation and has strengthened its verification procedures to prevent a recurrence.
The House committee is expected to continue its investigation into the alleged PFIFC to determine how it obtained official government recognition and whether due process was followed by the agencies involved.
