Abuja – 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 despite documents listing President Bola Tinubu and other top government officials as members of its governing board.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, raised concerns during the appearance of the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, who was summoned to explain how the organisation, now alleged to be fictitious, secured official government number plates.
While reviewing documents submitted by the alleged promoter of the council, Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, Gagdi pointed to the organisation’s purported mandate, which listed President Bola Tinubu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) 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.
The committee chairman asked the Corps Marshal whether the document formed part of the application submitted to the FRSC.
Mohammed confirmed that the mandate was among the documents presented by the organisation in its application for official Federal Government vehicle number plates.
Gagdi expressed surprise that the document did not trigger heightened scrutiny within the FRSC’s verification process, arguing that the inclusion of the President and serving cabinet members on the board of a private organisation seeking official recognition should have prompted the Corps to seek independent verification from the Presidency and other relevant government agencies.
According to the lawmaker, a more rigorous verification process could have exposed the alleged fraud before official government number plates were issued.
Earlier, Mohammed defended the FRSC’s actions, insisting that the Corps followed all established procedures before approving the request.
He told lawmakers that after the controversy surrounding the council surfaced about three weeks ago, he directed the Deputy Corps Marshal in charge of Motor Vehicle Administration to verify whether the FRSC had issued official government number plates to the organisation.
According to him, the investigation confirmed that the plates had been allocated after what the Corps believed was a comprehensive verification process.
“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,” Mohammed said.
“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.”
The Corps Marshal maintained that the FRSC remains committed to professionalism, integrity and strict compliance with existing laws and procedures in the allocation of official government vehicle number plates.
