- Bets nothing will come out of it
Arise Television presenter, Rufai Oseni, has cast doubt on President Bola Tinubu’s order on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) and its self-proclaimed Director-General, ‘Prince’ Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
Speaking during Wednesday’s edition of The Morning Show, Oseni argued that the investigation lacked credibility, insisting that the Presidency had already taken a position on the matter long before announcing the probe.
According to the veteran broadcaster, the investigation is unlikely to produce any significant outcome.
Oseni did not mince words as he criticised the move, describing it as an attempt to divert public attention rather than uncover the truth.
“The Presidency calling for an investigation into the Adeyemi saga—I laugh. That’s the greatest joke of the century,” he said.
“Nothing, hold me here, will come out of the investigation. It’s just another way to deceive and distract Nigerians.”
Oseni argued that the Presidency’s initial public response to the PFIPC controversy had already appeared to absolve the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, making the subsequent investigation difficult to trust.
He questioned why the government would announce an investigation after, in his view, already signaling where it stood on the matter.
“Investigate what?” he asked.
“The first statement released by the Presidency had even exonerated Gbajabiamila. Is that what a first presidential reaction should be? So it’s working to the answer.”
According to him, announcing an investigation after issuing such a statement undermines public confidence in the entire process.
Oseni also questioned whether the ICPC would be able to conduct an investigation capable of implicating influential figures within the current administration.
He argued that the Presidency’s “body language” had already created the impression that certain individuals were beyond scrutiny.
“You now say they should give ICPC investigation. An ICPC investigation into what, where the Presidency has already sided with people in the case?” he asked.
“So you think, in your own estimation, that ICPC will do an investigation that will bring people that matter, that are close to government, down to make the government look bad?”
The television host further referenced previous controversies which, according to him, were never fully investigated, suggesting that Nigerians have become accustomed to inquiries that fail to produce meaningful outcomes.
He cited the unresolved case involving an aircraft that reportedly landed on a highway, noting that authorities had yet to publicly release key details surrounding the incident.
“As far as I’m concerned, is it not Nigeria?” he remarked.
“Forget all of this.”
Oseni also claimed that anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria often appear to be influenced by political considerations.
According to him, investigations and prosecutions tend to target individuals only after they fall out with the government.
“The people that get prosecuted like El-Rufai is when they don’t align politically again,” he said.
“As long as you align politically, nothing will happen to you. Your sins are forgiven in this country.”
Despite his criticism of the Presidency, Oseni stressed that he was not accusing anyone of wrongdoing.
Instead, he maintained that everyone connected to the PFIPC controversy should be subjected to an impartial investigation.
“Everybody that was mentioned one way or the other should be made to face the investigation panel,” he said.
“Nobody is saying anybody is guilty.”
However, he maintained that public confidence in the process had already been weakened by the Presidency’s earlier response to the controversy.
“We are going to see whether they are going to unravel anything,” Oseni concluded.
“But as far as I’m concerned… is it not Nigeria?”