Despite recently disowning the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) as a fake entity, the federal government granted the controversial agency a waiver to recruit 300 staff members in August 2025
Mimi Abu, the Director of Organisation Design and Development in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, conveyed the government’s approval for the recruitment in a letter dated August 7, 2025.
The waiver was necessary to bypass the federal government’s active embargo on general civil service recruitment.
Details of the Recruitment Approval
In the two-page letter conveying the waiver—which was copied to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF)—Abu stated that the PFIPC was cleared to recruit 10 directors on Grade Level (GL) 17 and 20 assistant directors on GL 15.
The approval also covered the recruitment of 44 administrative officers: 20 on GL 08, 15 on GL 09, four on GL 12, and five on GL 14.
Other approved positions included:
Planning officers: 45
Commercial officers: 32
Accountants: 26
Investment promotion officers: 22
Procurement officers: 13
Information officers: 12
Programme analysts: 11
Legal officers: 10
Motor drivers/mechanics: 10
Executive officers (Accounts): 9
Executive officers (General Duties): 9
Data processing assistants: 7
Technical officers (Electrical/Mechanical/Civil): 6
Data processing officers: 5
Confidential secretaries:3
“This approval is based on and limited to the 2025 Approved Establishment position of the Agency, which covers the proposed recruitment,” Abu wrote.
The director advised the council to obtain clearance from the Budget Office of the Federation in line with existing circulars. She also directed the agency to adhere to the Federal Character principle and ensure that 5% of the recruitment slots were allocated to persons living with disabilities (PWDs).
“Kindly note that on no account should the approval be varied or exceeded, in order not to increase the personnel costs unduly,” the letter warned, adding that officials from the civil service office would monitor the exercise to ensure compliance.
A Public Message of Appreciation
Twenty-four hours after receiving the approval letter, Adeniyi Adeyemi, the Director-General of the PFIPC, published a note of appreciation on social media, thanking President Bola Tinubu for granting the waiver.
“Mr. President, we are growing because you believe in us,” the message read in part.
Adeyemi also claimed that the agency had secured approval to establish PFIPC offices across all 36 states of the federation, alongside the rollout of 127 global offices.
“The visionary support strengthens our resolve to champion Nigerian enterprise and attract foreign direct investments across every border,” he added.
The Controversy and Criminal Charges
The legitimacy of the council came under scrutiny on June 11, 2026, when Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, released a statement declaring that the PFIPC does not exist under the Tinubu administration.
Adeyemi immediately challenged the disclaimer, urging the president to set up an independent panel to investigate the matter. He claimed the sudden fallout was triggered by his refusal to part with a 48 percent kickback from the agency’s take-off grant. Adeyemi also alleged he had paid N400 million to secure his appointment, with a balance of N200 million outstanding.
Despite the presidency’s claim that the council is “fake,” *TheCable* previously reported that the PFIPC was allocated N1.3 billion in the 2026 federal budget—comprising N802.98 million for personnel, N200 million for overheads, and N300 million for capital expenditure.
Furthermore, Adeyemi has reportedly been operating from an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, where he has hosted foreign diplomats, government officials, and organized public events.
The federal government has since cracked down on the agency. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has filed an eight-count criminal charge against Adeyemi, accusing him of forgery.
