The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has issued a strict 48-hour ultimatum to defaulting Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), warning that non-compliance will trigger compulsory constitutional sanctions.
The directive, issued by Committee Chairman Hon. Yusuf Gagdi on Tuesday night, follows the failure of several key government institutions to appear or produce requested records regarding how the fake agency secured office space, opened CBN accounts, and obtained a ₦1.32 billion line item in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The committee declared Thursday, July 23, 2026, as the final window for voluntary compliance.
“Compliance is a Legal Duty, Not a Courtesy”
Reading the committee’s resolution, Gagdi described the repeated absence of invited agency heads as a direct affront to the constitutional oversight authority of the legislature.
He emphasized that invitations issued under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) carry binding legal weight:
“It must be clearly understood that invitations issued by a duly constituted Committee of the House of Representatives are not matters of discretion… Compliance is therefore a legal obligation, not an act of courtesy. Thursday is the final opportunity for every defaulting agency to comply voluntarily. Any ministry or department that fails to appear without lawful justification will leave the panel with no option but to invoke every constitutional power to compel appearance and enforce accountability.” — Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, Ad-Hoc Committee Chairman
Defaulting Institutions Under the Lens
The panel expressed frustration over missing documentation and unhonored summons from pivotal bodies involved in the national budgeting, establishment, and security vetting pipeline:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AFFECTED MDAS & REQUIRED DOCUMENTS │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Budget Office of the Federation : To explain how the uncreated agency│
│ secured a ₦1.32bn allocation in the 2026 Appropriation Act. │
│ │
│ • Office of the Secretary to the : To provide establishment clearance │
│ Government of the Federation files and office allocation records. │
│ │
│ • Federal Character Commission & : To account for unverified staff │
│ Salaries/Wages Commission : recruitment approvals & pay structures.│
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
(Sources: House Ad-hoc Committee Resolutions & Hearing Records)
Escalate to High-Level Appearances
The 48-hour ultimatum coincides with individual summons issued to senior executive figures scheduled for Thursday’s session:
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National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu: Summoned to address security gaps that allowed the phantom agency’s promoter, Adeyemi Adeniyi Matthew, to occupy space in the Federal Secretariat and operate for months undetected.
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Minister of Foreign Affairs: Invited to explain why diplomatic channels were engaged by the phantom council despite early warning letters.
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Minister of Finance, Wale Edun: Expected to appear personally after the committee rejected a representative sent on his behalf during Tuesday’s hearing.
The committee maintained that the ongoing probe is not aimed at victimizing any institution, but rather at protecting the integrity of the federal budget and ensuring no entity operates outside constitutional frameworks.
Ayodele Quadri
Correspondent
