***Issue final warning, say Thursday last chance to honour summons

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the operations of the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has threatened to sanction Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fail to honour its summons.

The committee declared Thursday as the final opportunity for defaulting institutions to comply voluntarily.

It warned that any agency that fails to appear before it with the requested officials and documents would face every constitutional and statutory sanction available to the House of Representatives for obstructing its investigation.

The warning follows a string of revelations during the committee’s ongoing probe and the subsequent summoning of some officials of government.

The committee had summoned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Minister of Finance, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Federal Character Commission and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to appear before it over issues relating to the operations and funding of the controversial council.

During the probe on Monday, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation admitted it failed to adequately verify documents submitted by the council before issuing it an authorised establishment.

The Central Bank of Nigeria disclosed it opened two foreign currency accounts for the council on the directive of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, although the accounts were never operated.

An Official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who appeared before the lawmakers on Tuesday said the ministry reported the council and its self-acclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, to the Office of the National Security Adviser in October 2025 after detecting discrepancies in documents submitted by the organisation.

The House is investigating how the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, which the Presidency has since disowned as an unestablished body, allegedly secured official recognition across government institutions and was allocated funds in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

The panel in a statement on Wednesday, chaired by Yusuf Gagdi, described the persistent absence of some MDAs as “a serious affront” to the constitutional oversight powers of the House and an unacceptable disregard for the authority of Parliament.

“It must be clearly understood that invitations issued by a duly constituted Committee of the House of Representatives are not matters of discretion.

“They are issued pursuant to the constitutional powers vested in the National Assembly under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution. Compliance is therefore a legal obligation, not an act of courtesy,” the committee said.

It stressed that any Ministry, Department or Agency that fails to appear without lawful justification “will leave the Committee with no alternative but to invoke every constitutional and statutory power available to the House of Representatives to compel compliance and ensure accountability.”

“The Committee will not hesitate to recommend and pursue every sanction permitted by law against any person or institution that deliberately obstructs or frustrates this investigation,” it added.

The committee maintained that the investigation is aimed at establishing the facts surrounding the controversial council, protecting the integrity of public administration and ensuring that no public institution operates outside the framework of the Constitution.