Documents submitted to FRSC list Tinubu, Wike, SGF as PFIFC board members

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIFC) on Thursday questioned the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) over its decision to issue official Federal Government vehicle number plates to the organisation based on documents listing President Bola Tinubu and several top government officials as members of its governing board.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, summoned the FRSC to explain how the organisation, now alleged to be fictitious, obtained official government number plates.

Appearing before the panel, the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, confirmed that the documents submitted by the organisation included a mandate listing President Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Gboyega Oyetola, and other senior government officials as members of its governing board.

Gagdi questioned whether the document formed part of the application submitted to the FRSC.

Mohammed answered in the affirmative, confirming that the mandate was among the documents presented during the application process.

The committee chairman expressed concern that the inclusion of the President and serving cabinet members in the organisation’s governing board should have immediately raised suspicion and prompted the FRSC to carry out more rigorous verification with the Presidency and other relevant authorities.

According to Gagdi, proper scrutiny could have exposed the alleged fraud before official Federal Government number plates were issued.

Earlier, Mohammed defended the Corps’ actions, insisting that all established procedures were followed before approving the request.

He told lawmakers that immediately the controversy surrounding the council emerged about three weeks earlier, he directed the Deputy Corps Marshal in charge of Motor Vehicle Administration to verify whether the FRSC had issued government number plates to the organisation.

According to him, the investigation confirmed that the Corps had allocated the plates after completing what it believed were all necessary verification procedures.

“When this saga started about three weeks ago, I called my Deputy Corps Marshal in charge of Motor Vehicle Administration and asked him to check whether we had issued Federal Government number plates to this agency.

“The next day, he reported that we did and that all due diligence had been carried out. We immediately documented everything in anticipation that this committee would invite us,” Mohammed said.

The Corps Marshal maintained that the FRSC remains committed to professionalism, integrity and compliance with extant regulations governing the issuance of official government number plates.

He explained that under the Corps’ Standard Operating Procedure, every ministry, department or agency seeking official number plates must submit a formal application, after which the authenticity of the request is verified before payment is made through the Federal Government’s Remita platform.

For newly established agencies, he said applicants are also required to submit the enabling law or legal instrument establishing the organisation before approval is granted.

Mohammed disclosed that the FRSC first received an application dated April 4, 2025, requesting official government number plates.

According to him, the letter originated from the Office of the Director-General of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, later renamed the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, and was signed by Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi.

He added that after the Corps did not immediately act on the request, a reminder dated April 11, 2025, signed by the same individual, was submitted.

The letters, he said, were accompanied by documents outlining the council’s mandate, establishment and the list of vehicles requiring official number plates.

Mohammed further revealed that Prince Adeniyi personally visited the FRSC headquarters, introducing himself as the Director-General of the organisation.

He said officials also visited the website referenced in the application, which carried a Federal Government domain and displayed information suggesting it was a legitimate government institution.

“The website contained the names of prominent public office holders as members of its governing board, giving every indication that it was an authentic Federal Government agency,” he said.

The Corps also visited the office address provided by the organisation at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, where officials found it operating at the stated location.

According to Mohammed, the physical presence of the office reinforced the impression that the organisation was genuinely established.

After completing the verification process, the FRSC approved and issued several official Federal Government vehicle number plates after confirming that the chassis numbers submitted matched the vehicles presented.

“It therefore came as a shock to the Corps when it later emerged that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council was not an approved Federal Government agency and that the representations made by Prince Adeniyi were false,” he said.

Mohammed informed the committee that the FRSC has commenced administrative steps to retrieve all official number plates issued to the organisation.

He also disclosed that the Corps has strengthened its internal verification procedures to prevent a recurrence.

Responding to further questions, the Corps Marshal confirmed that the vehicles for which the number plates were issued physically existed and that their chassis numbers were verified before the plates were produced.

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