The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged unestablished Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council that it rejected requests for collaboration from the council after discovering discrepancies in documents submitted by its self-acclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ambassador Dunoma Umar Ahmed, made the disclosure on Tuesday while appearing before the committee probing the activities of the alleged council.
Ahmed said the ministry had no official relationship with the PFIPC and never recognised it as a government agency.
According to him, Prince Adeyemi approached the ministry on three occasions — June 26, 2025, August 5, 2025, and June 5, 2026 — seeking the ministry’s endorsement and collaboration to host a World Investment Summit in Nigeria.
He said the ministry declined the requests in line with its due diligence procedures after identifying inconsistencies in the documents and correspondence submitted by the alleged council.
“The ministry has never had any official interaction or engagement with the PFIPC or its alleged Director-General. We declined the requests because of discrepancies observed in the documents presented to us,” the permanent secretary said.
Ahmed told lawmakers that the ministry subsequently wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser on October 16, 2025, requesting clarification on the status of Prince Adeyemi and the PFIPC.
He said the NSA, in a response dated November 26, 2025, informed the ministry that enquiries made with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President showed that neither Prince Adeyemi nor the PFIPC was known to the Federal Government.
The permanent secretary further stated that the ministry never participated in any diplomatic, bilateral or multilateral engagement organised by the alleged council.
He also said no memorandum of understanding or agreement with any foreign government was signed through the PFIPC, and that the alleged council never facilitated any foreign investor, partner or delegation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the hearing, members of the committee questioned why the ministry did not formally notify Prince Adeyemi after receiving confirmation from the NSA that the organisation was unknown to the Federal Government.
In response, Ahmed said the ministry did not communicate directly with him after receiving the security report.
Following the presentation, the committee summoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Adviser to appear before it on Thursday.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, said the NSA would be required to explain what actions were taken after confirming that the PFIPC was not recognised by the Federal Government.
“If they confirmed it was an illegal agency, they should tell Nigerians what they did thereafter,” Gagdi said.
He also questioned how the alleged council was able to carry out diplomatic engagements that ordinarily fall within the mandate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, describing the development as a serious institutional failure.
Gagdi said the committee would also invite the Presidential Economic Advisory Council after observing that the letterhead used by Prince Adeyemi identified him as Director-General of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council.
The committee is investigating the alleged establishment and operations of the PFIPC without a valid legal framework.
The post “Foreign Affairs Ministry Says It Rejected PFIPC Requests Over Document Discrepancies” — Reps Summon Minister, NSA Over Alleged Unrecognised Council appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
