by Godwin Orozo,
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate a fake presidential council allegedly operating with forged government documents and false claims of presidential authority, with a 30-day deadline for findings.
A statement issued Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) as “a fictitious organisation with no legal, constitutional or executive existence,” despite the group allegedly presenting itself as an official arm of the Presidency.
At the centre of the alleged scheme is Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who reportedly posed as Director-General of the non-existent council and claimed to be a presidential appointee.
Investigators have been tasked with exposing those behind the alleged fraud and determining how the group created an appearance of official legitimacy, the Presidency said. The probe will examine the alleged use of forged presidential appointment letters, attempts to obtain diplomatic recognition and visa facilitation, and the opening of multiple bank accounts in the names of purported government agencies.
Tinubu also directed the ICPC to identify everyone connected to the operation, including any public officials, financial institutions, intermediaries or private individuals who may have knowingly or unknowingly facilitated its activities.
Beyond naming suspects, the President wants investigators to establish how weaknesses in government systems were exploited and to recommend immediate institutional reforms to strengthen safeguards against forgery, impersonation, abuse of official identity, and the creation of fraudulent government entities.
All Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been instructed to provide the ICPC with all relevant documents and records upon request to facilitate the probe, which must be concluded within 30 days.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to protecting the integrity of public institutions, Tinubu declared that the Presidency “must not become a platform for fraudsters seeking to exploit the authority of government for personal gain.”
He directed that all those found culpable be prosecuted in accordance with the law, stressing that no individual or group would be allowed to undermine the credibility of the nation’s highest office through forgery or impersonation.
