-
As President Orders Probe
Almost two weeks after the brewing scandal over an alleged fake agency scandal blew up, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a probe by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Allied Offences Commission (ICPC).
Adeniyi Adeyemi Mathew, who had, for three years, run the “Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council” (PFIPC) which the Presidency described as non-existent had accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila of being behind the alleged fake council of which he was the Director General.
A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said that the presidency’s image is at stake in the allegations levelled directing the ICPC to ensure adequate scrutiny.
Onanuga said Tinubu directed a full probe the report of which must be submitted to him within 30 days.
“The directive follows the discovery of the fictitious PFIPC, which was never established by the Federal Government of Nigeria and has no basis in any law, presidential instrument, executive approval, or other lawful act of Government,” Onanuga said adding that “one Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew presented himself as the Director-General of the so-called PFIPC and falsely claimed to be a presidential appointee.”
Among the issues to be investigated by the ICPC, according to Onanuga’s statement, “are the forged appointment letters and other official government documents; the use of a false claim of presidential appointment to seek or obtain official recognition and diplomatic support, including visa facilitation; and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies using allegedly forged documents.”
He said Tinubu directed the ICPC to investigate not only the conduct of the principal individual and other collaborators involved but also the wider circumstances that may have enabled a fictitious body and a false claim of presidential appointment to acquire an appearance of official legitimacy.
He went further, “The investigation is to examine the provenance and use of false official documents; the processes through which official recognition or diplomatic support may have been sought or obtained; the opening and operation of any related bank accounts; the source and movement of any funds involved; and the role of any public officer, private individual, financial institution, intermediary or other person or entity that may have facilitated, enabled or participated in the alleged scheme.
“The President further directed the Commission to identify any weaknesses in government and institutional procedures that may have been exploited and to recommend immediate measures to prevent the recurrence of similar abuses. All ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government have been directed to provide the ICPC, upon lawful request, with all relevant information, records and assistance required for the expeditious completion of the investigation.”
Onanuga quoted the President as stating that the integrity of the Presidency and the institutions of the Federal Government must be protected against impersonation, forgery, abuse of official identity and the exploitation of weaknesses in the public service.
“The President directed that all persons found culpable be treated strictly in accordance with applicable law,” he said
Among other allegations, Adeniyi, the man at the centre of the “fake agency” had accused Gbajabiamila of collecting N400m from him to secure the appointment as the DG of the agency, which operates an office at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.
Adeniyi had equally alleged that crisis erupted between him and Gbajabiamila after he demanded for a substantial chunk of the take off grant of N2.7bn from him.
Adeniyi has insisted that he was lawfully appointed and insisted the Presidency was attempting to silence him.
“I have a letter of appointment. However, since the matter is in court, I won’t be able to say much about it,” he said, adding that he was prepared to defend himself and was confident that the court would vindicate him.
He said claims that he fabricated the agency was a lie from the pit of hell adding that he could not have openly engaged ministries, departments and agencies across government for nearly three years if the organisation did not exist.
“For one second, let us assume the agency does not exist, would I have the temerity, the audacity, to be going all over the country, meeting the heads of ministries, departments and agencies, if I know that the agency does not exist?” he asked. “Nigeria is not a banana republic.”
He had earlier called on President Bola Tinubu to establish an independent investigative panel to examine both his allegations against the Chief of Staff and the circumstances surrounding the disputed agency.
Many Nigerians had called on Tinubu to order his Chief of Staff to step aside pending the conclusion of a full investigation.
Just on Tuesday, reports quoted lawyers to Gbajabiamila, Kemi Pinhero SAN, as threatening Adeniyi with a N10bn suit should he fail to withdraw his allegations and tender a public apology.
Pinhero said that the Chief of Staff had never met Adeniyi before adding that allegations were calculated at smearing the Chief of Staff to the President.