By Emmanuel Onyedika
The House of Representatives has inaugurated an ad hoc committee to investigate the legal status, operations and budgetary inclusion of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), alleged to be fake. Speaker Hon. Abbas Tajudeen stressed that the exercise is aimed at establishing facts rather than pursuing political interests.
Speaking on Monday at the National Assembly, Tajudeen said the investigation followed widespread public concerns over the council’s existence, legal foundation and its appearance in the federal budget despite uncertainty surrounding its establishment.
“The House of Representatives has therefore not constituted this Committee to validate speculation or amplify controversy. Neither is this a political exercise. Our objective is simply to establish the facts,” the Speaker said.
He added that democracy thrives when “facts prevail over rumours, evidence over conjecture, and accountability over opacity,” noting that parliament has a constitutional duty to seek answers whenever legitimate public concerns arise.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, has been mandated to determine whether there is any legal basis for the establishment and operation of the PFIPC and to investigate the circumstances surrounding its creation.
It will examine the council’s mandate, governance structure, funding sources, operational activities and its relationship with existing government agencies responsible for investment promotion, economic planning and public finance. A key focus will be how the council was included in the Federal Budget Framework and whether due process was followed.
The committee will also assess whether the PFIPC duplicates statutory functions of existing institutions and evaluate implications for fiscal responsibility and public administration. It will receive memoranda and testimonies from relevant MDAs, constitutional bodies, experts, civil society organisations and members of the public before making recommendations.
Tajudeen emphasised that the inquiry is not about individuals but about strengthening institutions. “This inquiry is not about personalities. It is about institutions, and moreover, it is about the integrity of public administration,” he said.
He urged officials and stakeholders to cooperate fully, stressing: “The House expects the truth, not rehearsed scripts or defensive posturing. Nigerians deserve candour. They deserve explanations that withstand scrutiny.”
Directing the committee members, the Speaker charged them to conduct the investigation with fairness, respect the rights of witnesses and follow the evidence without yielding to political pressure or sentiment. “The credibility of parliamentary oversight rests not on the conclusions it reaches, but on the integrity of the process by which those conclusions are reached,” Tajudeen stated.