The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has questioned the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, over allegations linked to the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), as the House of Representatives intensified its investigation into the scandal by summoning several key government agencies.
Gbajabiamila appeared before investigators at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja after honouring the commission’s invitation, in line with President Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into the activities of the council, which the Federal Government has described as a non-existent agency.
His lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, confirmed that the Chief of Staff cooperated fully with investigators during the questioning, stressing that his client responded to the invitation in compliance with the President’s directive.
The investigation follows allegations by self-acclaimed PFIPC Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed Gbajabiamila demanded financial benefits, including an alleged ₦400 million payment and a share of the council’s proposed take-off grant, to facilitate his appointment. Gbajabiamila has denied the allegations, describing them as false and defamatory, and has instituted a ₦15 billion defamation suit against Adeyemi.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the inclusion of the unestablished PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act summoned the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Budget Office, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Federal Character Commission and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to explain their roles in the matter.
During the committee’s hearing, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, admitted that her office failed to adequately verify documents submitted by officials of the purported council before approving its staff establishment request.
She, however, maintained that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service neither established the council nor deployed civil servants to it, adding that the office space reportedly occupied by the PFIPC in the Federal Secretariat belonged to the OSGF.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also informed lawmakers that domiciliary accounts in dollars and pounds were opened for the PFIPC but were never funded, while the ICPC requested additional time to conclude its investigation and submit a comprehensive report to the House committee.
President Tinubu had earlier directed the ICPC to investigate the controversial council after the Presidency declared that the PFIPC had no legal basis, executive approval or lawful existence within the Federal Government. The anti-corruption agency was given 30 days to conclude its investigation and submit its findings.
