The controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council deepened on Wednesday as the Senate rejected, for the second time in one week, a request to investigate the controversial budgetary allocation to the alleged agency, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Presidency traded accusations over how the matter should be probed.
The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday arrested Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-styled Director-General of the alleged council, following a bench warrant issued by a Federal High Court in Abuja, after he failed to appear for his arraignment on an eight-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, forgery and impersonation following the widespread scandal.
Adeyemi is embroiled in a dispute with the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, after alleging that the presidential aide demanded a N400m bribe and sought 48 per cent of the agency’s proposed N27.4bn take-off grant.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the purported agency and the controversial budgetary allocation, with the anti-graft agency expected to submit its findings within 30 days.
