The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Esther Didi Walson-Jack, has admitted that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before granting key approvals to a purported federal agency at the centre of an ongoing House of Representatives investigation into an alleged recruitment waiver scandal.

Walson-Jack made the admission on Wednesday while appearing before the House Ad Hoc Committee probing the alleged creation of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), which lawmakers say operated without legal backing.

The committee also said it had uncovered what it described as a network of fake documents used to secure government approvals for the purported agency.

Addressing lawmakers, the Head of Service acknowledged that her office relied on documents later discovered to be fake in issuing an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver.

“Having seen all the facts and examined the documents, we concede that we ought to have carried out more due diligence in issuing an authorised establishment and recruitment waiver to the PEAC/PFIPC,” she said.

Walson-Jack explained that officials representing the purported agency appeared before her office during the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence exercise with what seemed to be a valid Establishment Act and a letter appointing a Director-General.

She noted that under civil service procedures, newly established agencies seeking to recruit staff are required to present an enabling Act, the appointment letter of their chief executive and other supporting documents before approvals are granted.

According to her, the office processed the request based on the documents submitted, describing the incident as unprecedented.

“In almost a century of the Federal Civil Service, we have never encountered a situation like this. Criminals always try to stay one step ahead of law enforcement,” she said.

However, under questioning, Walson-Jack admitted that the purported Establishment Act was clearly inauthentic.

“I requested to see the documents myself and immediately I saw the Establishment Act, I knew it was not an authentic Act. With almost 30 years of legal practice, I could tell,” she said.

She also questioned the authenticity of the appointment letter purportedly issued by the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, saying the signatures did not match those on genuine official correspondence.

“I’m not a forensic expert, but I can clearly see that the signatures are not the same,” she added.

The committee chairman disclosed that forensic analysis conducted by the Nigeria Police had confirmed the signatures were completely different and not even an attempt to imitate the genuine signature.

“The police forensic department has confirmed that the signatures are not the same. There wasn’t even an attempt to imitate the original signature,” the chairman said.

He further declared that investigations had established that both the appointment letter and the alleged Establishment Act were fake.

“You have clearly stated that you acted on false documents. The letter appointing the so-called Director-General is fake, and so is the purported Act establishing the agency,” he said.

The chairman also pointed out that the document presented as an Act of the National Assembly lacked essential features of valid legislation, including citation numbers, gazette numbers and official gazette titles.

Despite acknowledging the lapses, Walson-Jack maintained that officials followed existing procedures based on the documents presented.

“Everything was done in accordance with established practice. Out of the 88 ministries, departments and agencies processed, we were genuinely surprised that we failed to detect that PEAC/PFIPC had submitted a fake Establishment Act and what has now been proven to be a fake appointment letter,” she said.

She assured lawmakers that the Office of the Head of Service would strengthen its verification processes to prevent a recurrence.

“We take full responsibility and will review our procedures to make them more resistant to fraud,” she pledged.

The committee also questioned officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation over the issuance of an administrative code to the purported agency.

A former Director of Consolidation Accounts and current Director of Federal Projects, Joshua Patmi Luka, said his office received what appeared to be an official request from the State House and, after assigning the administrative code, addressed its response to the Permanent Secretary rather than the agency itself.

He said the approach was intended to expose any irregularities if the request proved to be fraudulent.

However, the committee faulted the process after evidence showed the letter never reached the Permanent Secretary but was instead collected by the alleged fake Director-General.

The chairman further stated that investigations revealed the Directorate of Administration and Support Services referenced in the correspondence did not exist within the State House.

Luka attributed the failure to deliver the letter to the Permanent Secretary to the actions of an individual officer rather than an institutional breakdown.

“The problem was not an office lapse but an individual lapse. Someone responsible for delivering the letter failed to do so,” he said.

The committee maintained that its investigation had uncovered a coordinated scheme involving fake appointment letters, fabricated legislative documents and fictitious State House offices used to obtain official approvals and access government processes.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Inspector-General of Police, Deputy Commissioner of Police Olufemi Akinola of the National Cybercrime Centre, informed the committee that the prime suspect, Prince Adeyemi, could not be produced because he remained in lawful custody under a subsisting court order.

Akinola said the police remained committed to cooperating with the National Assembly but explained that producing the suspect would require a reproduction warrant issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The hearing was marked by tense exchanges between lawmakers and senior government officials, with the committee chairman frequently interrupting witnesses during questioning. The committee said it would conclude the clarification phase of its investigation before presenting preliminary findings next week ahead of its final report to the House of Representatives.