- The Budget Office said no money allocated to the PFIPC was released or spent
- Officials said legal requirements for accessing the funds were never met
- Lawmakers are continuing investigations into the disputed agency
The Budget Office of the Federation has told the House of Representatives that no funds allocated to the disputed Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC) were released or spent.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, made the disclosure while appearing before the House ad hoc committee investigating the establishment of the council and the budgetary provisions made for it.
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Yakubu said that although the National Assembly approved budgetary allocations for the agency, the legal and administrative conditions required for the release and expenditure of the funds were never fulfilled.
He explained that no personnel costs, overheads or capital allocations were accessed because the necessary approvals for recruitment, payroll processing, procurement and cash releases were not granted.
According to him, the Budget Office withheld financial clearance, while the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation were directed not to process any payment relating to the council.
He maintained that the financial control mechanisms worked effectively, ensuring that no public funds were disbursed to the agency.
The Budget Office also assured lawmakers of its continued cooperation with the investigation by providing all relevant documents and records.
The controversy surrounding the PFIPC began after Adeniyi Adeyemi publicly presented himself as the agency’s Director-General and was seen at official engagements with diplomats and prominent Nigerians. He also reportedly operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
However, the Presidency later stated that the agency was never established and subsequently filed charges against Adeyemi. Despite this, he insisted his appointment was valid and accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of receiving money through an intermediary to facilitate his appointment. Gbajabiamila has denied the allegation and instituted legal action against him.
As part of its investigation, the House committee invited officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and other agencies to provide clarification.
The CBN informed lawmakers that it opened two accounts for the council on the instruction of the Office of the Accountant-General but confirmed that neither account received deposits nor recorded any transactions.
Similarly, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, told the committee that her office neither assigned office space nor deployed personnel to the disputed council.
Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has commenced an investigation into the matter following President Bola Tinubu’s directive, with Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila among those invited for questioning.
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