There is a new twist in the ongoing House of Representatives ad hoc panel probing the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) as it was discovered that the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to the President actually disowned it in 2025.
The ONSA office is led by retired police offer Nuhu Ribadu.
Appearing before the panel Monday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, said the ONSA disowned the agency in a written communication sent to the ministry in November last year.
“Having discovered discrepancies in the requests submitted by Prince Adeyemi, the ministry, on October 16, 2025, wrote a letter to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), requesting clarification on the status of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew as Director-General of the PFIPC.
“Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIDC), approached the ministry on three different occasions, requesting the ministry’s collaboration and endorsement to enable him to host the World Investment Summit in Nigeria in both 2025 and 2026.
“The ministry’s refusal to oblige the requests was further necessitated by some of the discrepancies observed in the letters submitted by Prince Adeyemi and the ongoing investigation into the legitimacy of the PFIPC and the identity of its alleged Director-General.
“In response, the ONSA wrote back to the ministry on November 26, 2025, indicating that the responses it received from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) and the Office of the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President revealed that Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was unknown to any office of the Federal Government,” the permanent secretary told the panel.
He further explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not participate in or facilitate any diplomatic engagement, bilateral or multilateral discussions held by the PFIPC, nor did it receive any foreign investors, partners or delegations on behalf of the PEAC/PFIDC.
Ahmed said there was no document, memorandum of understanding or agreement signed with any foreign government by the council available in the ministry.
He also said the ministry did not play any role with the council in promoting Nigeria’s investment abroad, while no Nigerian mission had any interaction with the PFIPC because it received no directive from the ministry in that regard, in line with its extant procedures and channels of communication.
According to him, the ministry does not have any other document linked to the agency, adding that it has never had any official interaction or engagement with the PFIPC or its alleged Director-General.
He said that, based on the response from the ONSA, the ministry refused to collaborate with the agency.
The committee chairman, Yusuf Gagdi, expressed concern that the ONSA had established as far back as November 2025 that the council and its alleged Director-General were not recognised by the Federal Government.
He questioned what steps had been taken by the security agencies after that discovery, noting that the committee was duty-bound to determine whether appropriate action followed the findings.
The committee consequently invited the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to appear before it at noon tomorrow to explain the actions taken after his office confirmed that the PFIPC was not a recognised government institution.
The panel also directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, to appear personally before the committee to clarify issues arising from the ministry’s submission.
Explaining the decision, Gagdi said the committee needed to establish what action the ONSA took after receiving the ministry’s report.
“It is now the duty of the committee to move further and invite the Office of the National Security Adviser to come and answer the very important question raised by Hon. Abubakar Fulata that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a letter from this agency under investigation, whether it exists or it doesn’t exist.
“What have you done as an office that has the power and capacity to carry out further investigation in respect of this matter?”
Gagdi wondered how the council was able to engage with foreign embassies despite concerns over its legal status, describing the development as an embarrassment to Nigeria’s diplomatic image.
He reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to conducting the probe professionally, fairly and transparently.
Gagdi added that all public officials invited should appear before the panel personally instead of sending representatives.
The panel began its work on Monday immediately after its inauguration by House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, who represented Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.
