The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) has raised concerns over documents allegedly listing President Bola Tinubu and other top government officials as members of the council’s governing board.
The committee, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, made the disclosure during a hearing while questioning the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, over the issuance of seven official vehicle number plates to the PFIPC.
According to Gagdi, documents submitted by the organisation identified President Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso, the Attorney-General of the Federation and several ministers as members of its governing board.
Lawmakers criticised the FRSC for approving the official number plates despite what they described as obvious irregularities in the council’s documents. Gagdi noted that the mandate presented by the PFIPC lacked key government security features and argued that the unusual composition of the board should have prompted further verification.
He explained that the committee’s goal was to expose institutional loopholes and strengthen verification processes rather than indict any individual. He added that the FRSC should have confirmed the authenticity of the documents with the Presidency and other relevant agencies before processing the request.
Responding, FRSC Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed said the agency followed its standard procedures after receiving the PFIPC’s application on April 4, 2025, and a follow-up letter dated April 11, both signed by Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi.
Mohammed said the application included documents outlining the council’s mandate, governing structure and the vehicles for which official number plates were requested. He added that FRSC officials also checked the organisation’s Federal Government domain website and visited its office at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, both of which appeared to confirm its legitimacy. The agency also verified the vehicles’ chassis numbers before approving the request.
FRSC Retrieving Issued Plates
Mohammed told lawmakers that the FRSC later discovered the PFIPC was not a legally recognised Federal Government agency and has since begun retrieving all official number plates issued to the organisation while strengthening its verification procedures to prevent similar incidents.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had earlier recommended the prosecution of Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi for allegedly operating the PFIPC without lawful authority.
Adeniyi reportedly claimed that the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, signed his appointment letter, a claim the former Speaker of the House of Representatives denied.
The ICPC also cleared the Presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria of any wrongdoing but identified procedural lapses in several ministries, departments and agencies, including the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office and the National Information Technology Development Agency.