None of the ₦1.3 billion allocated in the 2026 Appropriation Act to the disputed Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) was ever disbursed or spent, the Budget Office of the Federation has told the House of Representatives.
Appearing on Friday before the House ad hoc committee probing the council’s establishment and funding, the Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, confirmed that strict administrative and legal financial controls prevented any spending.
According to Yakubu, statutory requirements were never fulfilled to unlock the allocations for personnel, overheads, or capital projects. He revealed that financial clearance was withheld, no payroll approvals were granted, and both the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General were instructed to block all related payments.
“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 said.
This update follows testimony from banking and civil service authorities earlier in the week, who also confirmed having no operational ties with the body.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) acknowledged opening two accounts for the council following directives from the Accountant-General’s office, but stated they were never activated. CBN Director of Banking Services, Abdullahi Hamisu, explained:
“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.”
Similarly, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, refuted reports that her office assigned staff or provided workspace to the council at the Federal Secretariat Phase Three.
“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 told lawmakers, adding: “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.”
The parliamentary inquiry stems from a controversy surrounding Adeniyi Adeyemi, who publicly claimed to be the council’s Director-General, operated out of an office in Abuja’s Federal Secretariat, and was photographed alongside senior officials and diplomats.
While the Presidency denied the existence of the agency and launched criminal proceedings against Adeyemi, he insisted his appointment was valid. Adeyemi denied forging his credentials and accused the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, of accepting money through an intermediary regarding the role. Gbajabiamila rejected the claim and initiated legal action, while Adeyemi was subsequently arrested in Osun State.