Forged State House Letter Gave Adeyemi’s ‘Presidential Council’ Government Recognition, Reps Hear

• House probe hears Adeniyi Adeyemi’s purported Presidential Economic Advisory Council secured official government recognition after the Treasury acted on what was later discovered to be a forged State House letter.

• Accountant-General says the Office of the Accountant-General created an administrative code for the council in November 2024, believing the request originated from the Presidency.

• Purported council later sought ₦27.4 billion in establishment funding, self-accounting status, Treasury Single Account (TSA), and domiciliary accounts, but received no government allocation.

• Treasury reveals two civil servants unknowingly remained attached to the purported council after it allegedly took over the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser without official notification.

A letter purportedly issued from the State House but later found to be forged enabled Adeniyi Adeyemi’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) to obtain official government recognition and access to key federal administrative processes, the House of Representatives heard on Monday.

The disclosure emerged during the appearance of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, before the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged operation of a fake presidential agency.

His testimony offered lawmakers their clearest explanation yet of how the purported council gained legitimacy within the Federal Government despite having no legal basis for its existence.

According to Ogunjimi, the Office of the Accountant-General created an administrative code for the council after receiving what appeared to be an authentic communication from the State House requesting that the body be integrated into the Federal Government’s financial management framework.

It was only after investigations commenced that officials discovered the correspondence did not emanate from the Presidency.

“The letter that was received by the Treasury… was respectfully addressed as coming from the State House. That letter was never issued by the State House,” Ogunjimi told the committee.

The revelation drew immediate reactions from lawmakers, who described the correspondence as a “hijacked” State House letter allegedly used to deceive government institutions into recognising an agency that did not legally exist.

How Treasury Recognised the Purported Council

The Accountant-General explained that the Treasury’s first interaction with the purported Presidential Economic Advisory Council occurred in November 2024.

He said the Office of the Accountant-General received a letter dated November 7, 2024, bearing a State House reference number and requesting the creation of an administrative code for the council to enable budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting.

Believing the request had presidential approval, officials processed it in accordance with established procedures.

The Treasury subsequently created the administrative code and formally communicated its approval to the State House, while copying the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

That administrative code effectively gave the purported council official recognition within the government’s financial administration system, allowing it to continue engaging federal institutions as though it were a duly established agency.

Lawmakers observed that the forged correspondence appeared to have become the foundation upon which the purported council built subsequent dealings with government institutions.

₦27.4bn Funding Request Rejected

Having secured administrative recognition, the purported council subsequently approached the Treasury with several requests aimed at expanding its operations.

According to Ogunjimi, these included applications for self-accounting status, the opening of Treasury Single Account (TSA) and domiciliary accounts, deployment of personnel, and requests for government funding.

He, however, maintained that while some administrative processes were undertaken, the Treasury never released public funds to the organisation.

“It is important to note that no funds were released under salaries, overhead, capital, or any form of intervention or special allocation to the council,” he said.

The Accountant-General disclosed that the council sought an establishment grant of ₦27.4 billion, but the request was rejected because there was no appropriation backing such expenditure.

He further explained that although the Central Bank of Nigeria opened two domiciliary accounts for the council to receive foreign inflows, the accounts never became operational because the organisation failed to satisfy regulatory requirements.

Treasury Unaware Staff Had Been Absorbed

The hearing also shed light on how two Treasury officers became associated with the purported council without the knowledge of the Office of the Accountant-General.

Ogunjimi explained that the officers had originally been deployed to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President in 2010 and 2013.

According to him, when the purported council allegedly assumed control of the office, neither the Treasury nor the affected officers formally notified the Office of the Accountant-General that the office had changed identity.

“It was never assumed or written to us that those two officers were being taken over.

“The staff also never reported to the office to say that another council had taken over the office and the name had changed. As far as I was concerned, we were dealing with a new agency, not the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser,” he said.

He added that when the purported council later requested five additional officers, only three were approved because Treasury officials considered the organisation too small to justify the number sought.

“It was when all this matter came to light that I got to know that two of our staff were actually working or being absorbed by the agency. We never knew.

“We believed, based on the records available to us, that those officers were still with the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser,” he said.

Probe Nears Critical Stage

Monday’s testimony is expected to play a crucial role in the House investigation as it provides the first detailed account of how the purported Presidential Economic Advisory Council allegedly secured official government recognition before seeking funding, staffing, and financial autonomy.

The revelations also strengthen earlier evidence presented before the committee that forged government documents were allegedly deployed to give legitimacy to the operations of the council across multiple federal institutions.

The House of Representatives is investigating allegations that forged presidential approvals, State House correspondence, and other official government documents were used to establish and operate the purported Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Previous hearings have revealed that investigators identified dozens of suspected forged documents allegedly linked to the operation of the councils, while the Nigeria Police Force has confirmed that Adeniyi Adeyemi has been arraigned before the Federal High Court on charges bordering on conspiracy and fraud.

The House committee has directed the Inspector-General of Police to produce Adeyemi before lawmakers as the investigation enters a decisive phase.

His appearance is expected to help the committee determine how the purported council obtained official recognition across government institutions and whether other individuals played roles in what lawmakers believe was a coordinated scheme to infiltrate the machinery of government through forged official documents.