Reps Query PFIPC As Budget Office Reveals ₦1.3bn Allocation Was Never Spent

The Budget Office of the Federation has told the House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) that none of the ₦1.3 billion appropriated for the agency was spent.

Appearing before the lawmakers, the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, explained that although funds were approved by the National Assembly, the legal and administrative requirements needed for their release were never fulfilled.

Yakubu said the Budget Office did not issue financial clearance for the funds, stressing that no recruitment was carried out, no payroll was approved and no expenditure was authorised for the agency.

He added that both the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation were instructed to block all payment processes linked to the council.

According to him, allocations earmarked for personnel, overhead and capital projects never advanced to the stage where they could legally be accessed or utilised.

“The conclusion is firm. Not one kobo of the personnel provision could lawfully have been drawn, and not one kobo was drawn. The overhead provision never matured into a lawful cash release,” Yakubu said.

He further stated that the capital allocation was never activated for procurement or spending because all statutory conditions remained unmet.

“The capital provision never matured into procurement or expenditure. The conditions required for spending were not met and were not close to being met. There is therefore no personnel expenditure to recover. The money never moved because the controls held,” he added.

The Budget Office also assured the committee of its full cooperation, pledging to provide all relevant records and documents to support its submissions.

PFIPC Controversy

The controversy surrounding the PFIPC erupted after Adeniyi Adeyemi allegedly presented himself as the agency’s Director-General for several months.

Adeyemi reportedly attended official events, met with diplomats and prominent Nigerians, and shared photographs of his activities on social media while operating from an office at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

The Presidency later disowned the agency, declaring that it did not exist and accusing Adeyemi of forging his appointment letter.

The Federal Government subsequently filed criminal charges against him.

Adeyemi, however, insists his appointment was genuine and legally valid. He also denied forging the appointment letter and accused President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of receiving money through an intermediary in connection with his appointment.

Gbajabiamila has denied the allegation and has since initiated legal action over the claim.

Adeyemi was later arrested in Osun State.

CBN: Accounts Opened But Never Used

As part of the ongoing investigation, the House committee also questioned officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), security agencies and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The CBN confirmed that two bank accounts were opened for the council but revealed that neither account was ever activated or funded.

CBN Director of Banking Services, Abdullahi Hamisu, told lawmakers that the accounts were opened based on instructions from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

“The accounts have never been operated. There have not been any foreign exchange allocations to the council from the CBN, no remittances into the accounts, and no approvals because no authorised signatories were established,” Hamisu said.

Similarly, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, informed the committee that no civil servants were deployed to the council despite receiving a request.

She also dismissed reports that the agency was allocated office space at the Federal Secretariat Phase Three in Abuja, stating that her office approved no such allocation.

ICPC Questions Gbajabiamila

Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, for questioning as part of the investigation into the controversial council.

The probe follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive investigation into the establishment of the PFIPC, the ₦1.3 billion allocation contained in the 2026 Appropriation Act, and the circumstances surrounding Adeyemi’s claim to the office of Director-General.