The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, to explain how over N1.3 billion was allocated to the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), a body the Presidency has declared non-existent.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), during the plenary session presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

They warned that the incident exposed serious weaknesses in Nigeria’s appropriation process and public financial management.

The lawmakers also resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate how the budgetary provision for the PFIPC found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Framework, tracing the allocation from the executive budget proposal through legislative consideration.

Moving the motion, Gagdi said the so-called council allegedly operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja, interacted with several government institutions and presented itself as a legitimate government agency before it was publicly disowned by the Presidency.

He anchored these resolutions in Sections 80, 81, 88, and 89 of the Constitution, as well as Sections 19, 30, and 50 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

He said the organisation’s activities are already the subject of criminal proceedings before the Federal High Court in Abuja, stressing that the House investigation would focus on the budgetary implications and institutional failures that enabled the agency to secure official recognition.

According to the lawmaker, the organisation relied on a document claiming it was established under “Chapter N2117 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,” but records from the National Assembly showed no such legislation exists.

He added that the closest relevant law is the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) Act, making the legal basis claimed by the council false.

Gagdi argued that the inclusion of more than N1.3 billion for an agency without any legal foundation raised critical questions about the integrity of the country’s budget preparation and approval process.

“The ease with which an unestablished entity processed through official channels suggests a systemic vulnerability rather than an isolated administrative lapse,” he said.

Following the adoption of the motion, the House directed that all ministries, departments and agencies listed in the 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Frameworks be verified against their legal instruments of establishment.

The lawmakers also requested the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to confirm that no public funds have been released, and that no payment warrants would be issued in favour of the alleged agency pending the conclusion of the investigation.

In addition, the House mandated the Budget Office to submit, alongside every appropriation bill, a comprehensive and certified list of all agencies proposed for funding, indicating the enabling law establishing each institution to prevent future inclusion of fictitious bodies.

Supporting the motion, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu disclosed that he had previously met representatives of the organisation after receiving an official-looking letter bearing the Presidency’s insignia.

He said his office received correspondence dated May 2, 2025, from a body identifying itself as both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and the PFIPC.

According to Kalu, the letter contained a Federal Secretariat address, an official-looking government logo and a “.gov.ng” website, prompting his office to verify the group’s physical location before granting it an audience.

He, however, noted that during the meeting, the delegation abandoned the policy issues contained in its letter and appeared more interested in taking photographs, adding that the incident underscored the need for stricter verification of government agencies.
Background

The development comes days after President Bola Tinubu directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the activities of the self-styled Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council following allegations that it falsely presented itself as a government agency.

The Presidency later disowned the PFIPC and its alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, stating that neither the council nor the related Presidential Economic Advisory Council exists under the Tinubu administration. Adeyemi is currently facing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations linked to the fake agency scandal.

The controversy intensified after it emerged that more than N1.3 billion.