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Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dissociated itself from the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) following the Presidency’s declaration that the body was not an official government agency.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Dunoma Ahmed, who represented the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the council that the ministry neither recognised the PFIPC nor had any official dealings with its alleged Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
The lawmakers are investigating the council over allegations that its existence is unconstitutional and illegal, and that it lacks recognition by the Nigerian Government.
Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, Ahmed said the ministry rejected repeated requests from the organisation after conducting due diligence that raised questions about its authenticity.
According to him, Adeyemi wrote to the ministry on three occasions—June 26, 2025; August 5, 2025; and June 5, 2026—seeking collaboration and endorsement to organise a World Investment Summit in Nigeria.
Ahmed said the ministry declined all three requests after identifying inconsistencies in the correspondence and raising concerns about the legitimacy of both the council and its purported leadership.
He said the ministry subsequently wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser on October 16, 2025, seeking clarification on the status of Adeyemi and the PFIPC.
According to Ahmed, the ONSA responded on November 26, 2025, stating that enquiries made through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President established that Adeyemi was unknown to the Nigerian Government.
Ahmed further told lawmakers that the ministry never participated in any bilateral or multilateral engagement involving the PFIPC and did not facilitate meetings between the council and any foreign governments, investors or international partners.
He added that no memorandum of understanding, treaty or investment agreement was signed through the PFIPC, and that no Nigerian mission abroad had any dealings with the organisation because the ministry never recognised or authorised its activities.
Following the testimony, the committee summoned the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to appear before it on Thursday at 12 noon to explain the actions taken by his office after confirming that the PFIPC was not recognised by the Nigerian Government.
