The Budget Office of the Federation has informed the House of Representatives that no money appropriated for the controversial Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC)/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) was ever released or expended, despite a budgetary provision of N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.
The disclosure was made on Friday by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, during his appearance before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the circumstances surrounding the creation of the council and the controversial appropriation made in its favour.
Addressing lawmakers, Yakubu maintained that although the National Assembly approved the allocation, the council failed to satisfy the legal and administrative conditions required before any public funds could be accessed or spent.
According to him, “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.
“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 explained that the Budget Office deliberately withheld the required financial clearance, while no approval was granted for staff recruitment or placement on the federal payroll.
Yakubu further revealed that both the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation were instructed not to process any payment connected with the council, ensuring that the allocations for personnel, overhead and capital projects never advanced beyond the budget stage.
He assured members of the committee that the Budget Office would continue to provide all necessary records and documentation to assist the ongoing legislative investigation.
The House probe follows controversy generated by claims made by Adeniyi Adeyemi, who publicly identified himself as the Director-General of the PFIPC despite repeated insistence by the Presidency that the council was never created by the Federal Government.
Adeyemi was reportedly seen at official engagements with diplomats and senior government officials and allegedly operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
While the Presidency has disowned the council and initiated criminal proceedings against him, Adeyemi has continued to insist that his appointment was legitimate. He has also denied allegations that he forged his appointment letter and accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of receiving money through an intermediary in connection with the appointment.
Gbajabiamila has rejected the allegation and instituted legal action, while Adeyemi was later arrested in Osun State.
As part of its extensive investigation, the House committee has also taken evidence from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and security agencies.
Earlier in the week, the CBN confirmed that it opened two bank accounts for the disputed council following instructions from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation but stressed that neither account was activated or funded.
Appearing before the lawmakers, the CBN’s Director of Banking Services, Abdullahi Hamisu, explained that no financial transactions had taken place because no authorised officials were designated to operate the accounts.
He said, “Like I said, the accounts have never been operated. As a result, there have not been any foreign exchange allocations to the council from CBN. There have not been any remittances into those two accounts. There have not been approvals because the authority has not been established for those who will operate the account.”
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, also distanced her office from the activities of the council, telling the committee that although a request for personnel deployment was received, it was never approved.
According to her, “The request for deployment of officers was received and noted for consideration. However, there was no deployment of officers by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to the council.”
She equally refuted reports suggesting that the PFIPC was allocated office accommodation within the Federal Secretariat.
“While there is speculation that the council occupied office space in the Federal Secretariat Phase Three, we can state categorically that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation did not allocate any office space to the PFIPC,” she said.
The investigation has also attracted the attention of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which commenced a separate probe into the matter on the directive of President Bola Tinubu. As part of the anti-corruption investigation, the commission has invited several individuals connected with the controversy, including the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, for questioning.
(Ripples)