Fake agency scandal: Controversial DG fights back, fingers more MDAs

Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, is pushing back against allegations that he single-handedly created the agency. He claims that numerous federal ministries, departments, and agencies processed, recognized, or interacted with his council, suggesting institutional backing.

Adeyemi, who is currently in police custody, made these assertions through his legal defense team. They have formally requested that he be allowed to testify before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the council. His lawyers argue that any report produced without hearing from him would violate his constitutional right to a fair hearing.

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We formally request that the panel issue the necessary administrative clearance to allow our client, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, to appear in person and testify. Any investigative outcome or final legislative report produced without affording our client a direct hearing would be fundamentally flawed, incomplete, and a breach of the constitutional right to a fair hearing (audi alteram partem).

The legal team rejected attempts to portray Adeyemi as an isolated impostor. They stated that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation acknowledged documents related to the council and facilitated office allocation. Furthermore, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Central Bank of Nigeria allegedly acted on official documentation to issue budget codes, grant self-accounting status, and open operational accounts.

The statement also claimed that heads of security agencies attended council events, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allocated property, requested a processing fee, and presented a plaque of recognition. Adeyemi's lawyers contend that these interactions demonstrate that the council had institutional recognition, challenging the notion that he fabricated it without support.

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We, the legal defence team of Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, issue this public statement to set the record straight following recent developments, our client’s current police detention, and the ongoing legislative hearings.