By Tracy Moses
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOSCF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, on Monday told the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged fraud surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) that her office never allocated office accommodation to the council.
Walson-Jack made the clarification while appearing before the committee, which is probing allegations that one Adeyemi Adeniyi fraudulently presented himself as the Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council using a purported presidential appointment later alleged to be fake.
The controversy prompted the House of Representatives to investigate the legality of the council’s establishment, the authenticity of the appointment documents, the recruitment of staff, the allocation of office space, and the alleged misuse of public funds and government facilities.
As part of its inquiry, the committee is examining the roles played by relevant government agencies in the council’s operations and whether due process was followed in its establishment and activities.
Responding to questions from lawmakers, Walson-Jack said records available to her office showed that the office space reportedly occupied by the council at the Federal Secretariat, Phase III, was officially allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), not the PFIPC.
She explained that while the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is responsible for allocating office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat complexes, it never allocated any office space to the council under investigation.
“There is speculation that the council occupied office space in the Federal Secretariat, Phase III. We can state categorically that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation did not allocate any office space to the council,” she said.
“The office space indicated as the council’s official address forms part of the office accommodation allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for the use of the OSGF and presidential bodies.”
The Head of Service further disclosed that the council had applied for approval of its organisational structure and authorised establishment but initially failed to provide the required supporting documents, resulting in the request not being approved.
She, however, explained that during the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence Exercise, the council later submitted additional documents, including the appointment letter of its Director-General and details of its mandate. The request was subsequently processed alongside those of 87 other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
According to her, an authorised establishment for 314 positions was later issued to the council, followed by a recruitment waiver.
Walson-Jack, however, clarified that her office neither deployed staff to the council nor approved any recruitment into the organisation.
She stressed that recruitment into federal agencies is the responsibility of the agencies concerned, while matters relating to the establishment, supervision and operational oversight of presidential councils fall outside the mandate of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
She urged the committee to direct further inquiries regarding the establishment and operations of the council to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other relevant government institutions.
The committee is expected to continue its investigation into the activities, funding and legal status of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council amid allegations of fraud and procedural irregularities surrounding its operations.