During a House of Representatives inquiry on Monday, officials disclosed that a counterfeit letter, disguised as an official State House communication, was instrumental in gaining government recognition for a fraudulent entity known as the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, the Accountant-General of the Federation, testified that his office processed a request for an administrative code based on a document that appeared authentic but was later determined to be unauthorized.
Ogunjimi noted that the initial interaction occurred in November 2024. Following standard protocols, the Treasury established an administrative code for budgeting purposes. While the entity requested various administrative statuses and funding, Ogunjimi clarified that no government money was disbursed. Specifically, a request for a 27.4 billion Naira grant was rejected due to a lack of budgetary provisions, and two domiciliary accounts created by the Central Bank of Nigeria remained inactive.
Lawmakers expressed concern regarding how such a deception bypassed government safeguards. Ogunjimi confirmed that the initial document did not originate from the Presidency, leading committee members to characterize it as a hijacked letter. The inquiry also addressed the unauthorized transfer of staff. Two employees originally assigned to the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser were absorbed by the fraudulent council without the Treasury’s knowledge. The committee is now focused on the role of Adeyemi Martin, the primary suspect, and has ordered the Inspector-General of Police to present him for questioning regarding the forgery of state documents.
