Seeks appearance before Reps panel, insists multiple government bodies recognised and engaged disputed council

Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-proclaimed Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, has pushed back strongly against allegations that he single-handedly set up a fake government agency, instead pointing fingers at several ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government.

Adeyemi, currently in police custody, made his position known through a statement issued on Sunday by his legal team, led by Festus Akhigbe. In the statement, he also demanded the opportunity to personally appear before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the matter.

His lawyers argued that denying him the chance to testify would amount to a breach of his constitutional right to fair hearing. They warned that any conclusions reached without his input would be incomplete and legally questionable.

According to the statement, “We formally request that the panel grant our client, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, the opportunity to appear and testify in person. Any report produced without hearing from him would be fundamentally flawed and a violation of the principle of fair hearing.”

The defence team rejected claims portraying Adeyemi as a lone impostor who fabricated a government agency without official backing. Instead, they alleged that several high-level government institutions had prior dealings with the council.

They specifically mentioned the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), which they claimed acknowledged documents related to the council and facilitated office space within the Federal Secretariat.

The statement further alleged that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria acted on official documentation to issue budget codes, grant the council self-accounting status, deploy civil servants, and open operational accounts.

In addition, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation was said to have approved the organisational structure of the council and granted waivers that enabled the recruitment of over 300 personnel.

Adeyemi’s legal team also claimed that security agencies participated in events organised by the council, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reportedly allocated a property to the organisation, requested a processing fee, and even presented a recognition plaque to its leadership.

Raising questions over accountability, the lawyers argued that it would be unreasonable to hold one individual solely responsible if multiple arms of government had engaged with the entity over time.

“It is practically impossible for a single individual to mislead the entire structure of government without some level of institutional approval or oversight failure,” the statement noted, adding that Adeyemi was being turned into a scapegoat for deeper systemic lapses.

The defence called for a broader and more transparent investigation involving civil society groups, legal experts, and independent observers to examine the full extent of government involvement.

“Justice cannot be achieved by focusing on one side while ignoring the wider system that processed, funded, and interacted with the entity,” the lawyers said.

Meanwhile, proceedings at the House of Representatives panel have continued, with several top officials already appearing before the committee.

Notably, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, admitted during the hearing that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before approving recruitment linked to the council—an admission that has further intensified scrutiny around the case.

The unfolding scandal has sparked broader concerns about accountability, institutional checks, and the integrity of government processes, as lawmakers continue their probe into how the controversial council operated within official circles.