Disagreements Delay House Committee Report on Fake Agency

Fresh disagreements have popped up in the House of Representatives ad hoc committee looking into the activities of the supposed Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council. This has stalled the completion of the panel’s final report.

The committee, led by Yusuf Gagdi from Plateau State, has been working for over a month. They are now trying to finish their report before it is presented to the House when they return to session.

Sunday PUNCH reports that the committee has questioned several top government officials. These include Didi Walson-Jack, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Hamisu Abdullahi, the Director of Banking Services at the Central Bank of Nigeria; Tanimu Yakubu, the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; and Joshua Luka, the Head of the Federal Projects Financial Management Department in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

The officials were asked about their roles in the processes that allowed the fake agency to appear legitimate in government.

The agencies told the committee they acted based on documents given to them by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claimed to be the Director-General of the organization.

Adeyemi had earlier claimed he paid N400 million to the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, through a proxy to secure his position as Director-General of the agency. He later stated that he never met Gbajabiamila face to face.

The Presidency and the Chief of Staff denied these claims. They called the agency fake and accused Adeyemi of forging documents to support his alleged illegal actions.

In a separate investigation, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission found no wrongdoing by the Presidency in this matter. They recommended that Adeyemi be prosecuted.

About two weeks ago, Gagdi mentioned that the committee would hold a press conference after questioning the relevant government agencies. But no such conference has happened yet.

The committee also planned to question Adeyemi in a private setting. However, this plan hit a snag when Adeyemi insisted on testifying publicly, in front of journalists and his legal team.

Sunday PUNCH learned that another issue causing a rift among the 12-member committee is the lack of a formal invitation for Gbajabiamila to appear before them. He needs to respond to allegations where his name is mentioned.

A source familiar with the proceedings, who asked to stay anonymous because they were not allowed to speak on the matter, said this disagreement is delaying the report's completion.

"Some committee members believe Gbajabiamila should present his side since Adeyemi is said to have mentioned him in this case. Writing a report without hearing from him may bring public criticism.

"Also, some think the committee should ask the court to allow Adeyemi to testify publicly. These are the issues causing the hold-up with the report," the source said.