Deputy Speaker reveals how he fell for impersonation scam

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has said he was one of the senior government officials who unknowingly interacted with people from the alleged fake ‘Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council’ (PFIPC). He called the situation a clever impersonation scheme.

He spoke during Wednesday’s session on a motion aimed at investigating the group’s alleged involvement in the 2026 Appropriation Framework. Mr Kalu mentioned that photos of him with the group’s leader spread widely in the media, making it seem like the organization had official backing.

“I was a victim, and I’m sure if you watch the news, you would see my picture all over the screen standing side by side with the purported Director-General of this organisation,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker shared that his office received a letter on 2 May 2025 from a group claiming to be both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the PFIPC. He said the letter had the Presidency’s logo, mentioned an address at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase Three, Abuja, and included what looked like an official government website. These details led his team to think the organization was real.

“I sent my team to verify the existence of this organisation at the stated address. They came back confirming that the organisation was operating from that location,” he told the lawmakers.

After this verification, Mr Kalu agreed to meet with the group, thinking they would discuss the ongoing constitutional amendment process, legislative priorities to attract investors, and possible collaboration between the National Assembly and the council.

But the meeting was different from what he expected. Mr Kalu noted that instead of discussing important policies, the group mainly wanted to take pictures with him.

“They did not talk about the constitutional amendment that we were undertaking. They did not discuss the issues they listed in their letter. They were more interested in taking photographs,” he remarked.

This behavior quickly raised doubts about whether they were truly acting for President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Looking back on the event, Mr Kalu warned that documents that look official, government logos, and physical addresses are no longer enough to prove legitimacy.

“This goes to show that a beautiful letterhead bearing the Presidency is no longer sufficient confirmation that an agency is legitimate. It also shows that an address at the Federal Secretariat does not necessarily mean an organisation is legally established,” he said.

Mr Kalu argued that this incident shows the need for better safeguards to stop people from misusing government symbols and infrastructure to access public officials. He emphasized that the House has a constitutional duty, under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, to investigate how the organization allegedly got office space in the Federal Secretariat, met with senior officials, and got into the federal budget.

“I’m happy this matter has come before Parliament. We owe Nigerians a duty to get to the root of this issue and demonstrate that we stand for transparency and accountability in governance,” he added.

The House then approved the motion and ordered that a committee be set up to look into the alleged inclusion of the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Framework.

PREMIUM TIMES has earlier reported on the activities of the PFIPC, which claimed to be an agency under the Presidency but had no legal standing.

Key to this controversy is Adeniyi Adeyemi, who said he was the Director-General of both the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC). Mr Adeyemi and his team reportedly attended official events and interacted with public institutions using letterheads that made it seem they represented the Presidency.

The Presidency has since distanced itself from Mr Adeyemi and both organizations. In a statement, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, confirmed that neither the PFIPC nor the PEAC exists under President Tinubu’s administration and made it clear that Mr Adeyemi was never appointed to lead any such body.

The situation became more complicated on Tuesday when the Senate denied being responsible for the reported ₦1.3 billion allocation to the PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act, stating that the provision was neither suggested nor added by the National Assembly.