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The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has narrated how he unknowingly met with the Director-General of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Adeniyi Adeyemi.
The Abia State-born politician stated that he met with Adeyemi in his office after receiving what appeared to be an official letter bearing the Presidency’s insignia.
Speaking during Wednesday’s plenary in support of a motion seeking an investigation into the activities of the alleged council, Kalu said he was among those deceived by the group’s claims of 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.
Kalu disclosed that his office received a letter dated May 2, 2025, on a letterhead bearing 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.
According to him, although some aspects of the letter raised doubts, it contained what appeared to be authentic details, including an address at the Federal Secretariat Complex and a 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 stated that he directed members of his team to verify the office address before approving a meeting with the group.
“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.
Kalu explained that the visitors had requested a meeting to discuss constitutional amendment, economic governance, legislative priorities and collaboration on foreign investment, but the discussion took a different direction.
“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 added, “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.”
The Deputy Speaker said the experience underscored the need for stricter verification of organisations claiming government affiliation.
“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 lawmakers to support the motion and conduct a thorough investigation into how the alleged council 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.
PUNCH Online reports that the council sparked nationwide controversy after it appeared as one of the beneficiaries in the 2026 Appropriation Act despite the Presidency insisting that no such agency exists under the Federal Government.
The controversy broke after the National Assembly passed the 2026 budget with allocations to the council, raising questions over how an agency later disowned by the Presidency found its way into the federal appropriation process.
The Presidency subsequently distanced itself from the council, maintaining that President Bola Tinubu neither approved its establishment nor appointed anyone to head it.
Following the development, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, petitioned security agencies over the alleged impersonation of the Presidency and the use of documents purportedly linked to the agency, leading to investigations by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.
Matthew was subsequently arrested and detained by the police before being arraigned on allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation and related offences.
He has, however, consistently maintained his innocence, insisting that all documents in his possession were legitimately obtained.
As public outrage intensified over the agency’s inclusion in the federal budget, Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate how the council was inserted into the 2026 Appropriation Act despite not being recognised by the Federal Government.
The President also ordered that everyone found culpable in the alleged budget insertion be identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law, while directing relevant authorities to unravel the circumstances that led to the controversial allocation.
