Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has revealed that he unknowingly granted an audience to Adeniyi Adeyemi, who presented himself as the Director-General of the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), after receiving what appeared to be an official correspondence bearing the Presidency’s letterhead.
Kalu made the disclosure on Wednesday during plenary while contributing to a motion calling for a full investigation into the activities of the alleged council, which the Presidency has since declared non-existent.
Expressing concern over the incident, the Deputy Speaker said he was among several public officials who were deceived by the group’s apparent legitimacy.
“I rise this morning to support the motion that has been properly moved by my friend and brother from Plateau State. It is quite embarrassing that people have the kind of boldness exhibited, moving around with what is not in existence, carrying themselves as if they are a legal entity,” he said.
Recounting how the meeting came about, Kalu explained that his office received a letter dated May 2, 2025, carrying the official insignia of the Presidency and identifying the sender as the Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
“On the 2nd of May, 2025, my office got a letter. That letter had the Presidency on top of the letterhead. It had the Office of the Director General, the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. Two councils under one DG,” he said.
Although he found some aspects of the correspondence unusual, Kalu said several details on the letter gave it an appearance of authenticity, including an address within the Federal Secretariat Complex and an official-looking government website.
“When I saw this, I looked down at the letterhead. I saw the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase 3, 2nd Floor, Central Business District. I also saw the website, pfipc.gov.ng. It was a bit confusing for me. Some of the information looked credible, some did not,” Kalu stated.
The Deputy Speaker disclosed that, before agreeing to the meeting, he instructed members of his staff to verify the address provided by the organisation.
“I sent my team to go and verify the existence of this organisation at the said address. They came back confirming that this organisation was in the said location. I then gave approval for them to come and have the interaction they had written for,” he said.
According to Kalu, the group had requested the meeting under the pretext of discussing constitutional amendments, legislative priorities, economic governance and possible collaboration with the National Assembly to attract foreign investment.
“They said they wanted to discuss the 10th House of Representatives Constitution Amendment process and its implications for economic governance, legislative priorities that can enhance investor confidence, and areas of collaboration between the National Assembly and the Council to drive foreign investment,” he said.
However, he noted that the discussion took an unexpected turn once the visitors arrived.
“When they came and started engaging, the issues they mentioned in the letter were not what they engaged on. They did not talk about the Constitution that we were amending. They were more about photo taking.”
Kalu said the experience highlighted the need for stricter verification procedures for individuals and organisations claiming to represent government institutions.
“This goes on to show that a beautiful letterhead that has the Presidency is no longer confirmation that an agency is legal. It goes to show that an address that shows Federal Secretariat does not mean that that particular agency is legal,” he said.
He urged members of the House to support the motion seeking an investigation into the alleged council, stressing the legislature’s constitutional responsibility to uncover how the organisation operated.
“It is our duty, based on Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, to dig deeper into this matter. I urge members to support this motion for the House to show Nigerians that we are in support of transparency and accountability in governance,” Kalu added.
The alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council became the subject of national controversy after it appeared among beneficiaries in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite repeated insistence by the Presidency that no such agency exists within the Federal Government.
The controversy intensified after the National Assembly passed the 2026 budget containing allocations to the council, raising questions about how an agency later disowned by the Presidency found its way into the federal budget.
The Presidency subsequently stated that President Bola Tinubu neither approved the establishment of the council nor appointed anyone to head it.
Following the revelations, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned security agencies over the alleged impersonation of the Presidency and the use of purported government documents, prompting investigations by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.
Adeyemi was later arrested and arraigned on charges bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences. He has, however, denied any wrongdoing, insisting that all documents in his possession were lawfully obtained.
Amid growing public concern over the council’s inclusion in the 2026 budget, President Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged insertion of the agency into the Appropriation Act and identify everyone involved, with a view to prosecuting anyone found culpable in accordance with the law.
