The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack, has admitted that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before approving key requests linked to the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body now found to have operated with fake documents.
Speaking before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged illegal creation of the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), Walson-Jack acknowledged that her office relied on documents later discovered to be fraudulent in granting an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver.
She explained that officials claiming to represent the agency presented what appeared to be an Establishment Act and a letter appointing a Director-General during the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence. Based on existing civil service procedures, her office processed the requests.
“Having now seen all the facts and documents, we concede that we ought to have carried out more due diligence before issuing the authorised establishment and recruitment waiver,” she told lawmakers.
Walson-Jack noted that the incident was unprecedented in the history of the Federal Civil Service, saying that in nearly a century, her office had never encountered such an elaborate deception.
She further admitted that after personally reviewing the documents, she realised the purported Establishment Act was not authentic and also observed discrepancies in the appointment letter allegedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. A forensic examination by the Nigeria Police has since confirmed that the signatures on the letter were fake.
The committee said its investigation uncovered a network of fabricated appointment letters, fake legislative documents and fictitious government offices used to obtain official approvals and facilitate budgetary processes.
Despite acknowledging the lapses, Walson-Jack maintained that her office followed established procedures based on the documents presented but pledged to strengthen internal processes to prevent similar incidents.
Also appearing before the committee, officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation defended their role in issuing an administrative code to the purported agency. They insisted that the code was officially addressed to the Permanent Secretary, State House, but blamed an individual officer for allowing the letter to be collected by the alleged fake Director-General instead of delivering it as intended.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police Olufemi Akinola, informed the committee that the alleged PFIPC Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, could not be produced because he remains in lawful custody under a subsisting court order. The police said a fresh court order would be required before he could appear before the lawmakers.
Background
The House of Representatives is investigating the alleged establishment of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), which lawmakers say were created without legal backing. The probe has uncovered alleged use of fake appointment letters, forged legislative documents and other fraudulent records to secure government approvals, recruitment waivers and administrative recognition. The committee is expected to present its preliminary findings next week before submitting a final report to the House.