HCSF Admits Due Diligence Lapses in Fake Agency Recruitment Waiver Probe Before Reps

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack. Source: Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack, has admitted before an ad-hoc committee of the House of Representatives that her office failed to execute proper due diligence prior to issuing key approvals during the ongoing fake agency recruitment waiver probe.

Testifying before lawmakers investigating the unauthorized creation of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Walson-Jack acknowledged that civil service officials acted on forged paperwork presented by fraudsters posing as agency representatives during the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defence.

She explained that the suspects presented a fake Establishment Act along with a falsified appointment letter for a Director-General. Walson-Jack, who noted her 30 years of legal experience, admitted that upon later reviewing the documents personally, she realized the purported Act lacked mandatory legislative features such as gazette titles, citation numbers, and genuine presidential signatures.

Investigations by the House ad-hoc committee further revealed that police forensic experts confirmed the signatures on the fake appointment letter were completely fabricated. 

Panel members also faulted officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for allowing the alleged mastermind, Prince Adeniyi Matthew Adeyemi, to intercept official correspondence containing administrative codes meant for the State House Permanent Secretary.

Regarding the suspect's appearance, police representatives informed lawmakers that Adeyemi could not be produced immediately at the public hearing because he remains held under a subsisting court detention warrant. 

As lawmakers press further into the fake agency recruitment waiver probe, Walson-Jack accepted full responsibility for the institutional oversight and pledged to restructure administrative workflows to prevent similar criminal deception in the federal civil service.

The committee announced that it will conclude witness questioning and present its preliminary findings to the public next week before submitting a final report to the House of Representatives, wrapping up the latest phase of the fake agency recruitment waiver probe.