The Budget Office of the Federation (BOF) has clarified that the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), later declared a fake agency by the Presidency and now under investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), originated from institutional processes initiated during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The explanation was provided by the Director-General of the Budget Office, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu, after appearing before the House of Representatives in Abuja, where he outlined how the PFIPC budget allocation found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act.
Yakubu stated that the council’s institutional roots could be traced to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), inaugurated by former President Buhari on October 9, 2019. According to him, by the time preparations for the 2026 budget commenced, several government institutions had already issued official approvals relating to the proposed council.
He explained that the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation assigned the council an administrative code, while the Office of the Head of the Civil Service approved an authorised establishment and granted a recruitment waiver. He added that the applicable salary structure for public servants had also been established before the Budget Office became involved.
Yakubu stressed that the Budget Office neither created the council nor approved its establishment, insisting its responsibility was limited to evaluating the fiscal implications of official documents received from relevant government agencies.
The Director-General disclosed that the council initially submitted a personnel budget estimate of ₦3.85 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.
However, he said the Budget Office independently reviewed the request using the approved staffing structure, recruitment waiver, public service salary framework and existing costing methodology before reducing the figure to ₦802.98 million. According to Yakubu, the lower figure represented the Budget Office’s independent fiscal assessment and was subsequently included in the Executive Budget proposal before being approved by the National Assembly.
Yakubu maintained that despite the appropriation, the council never became eligible to access the personnel allocation because it failed to obtain the mandatory Financial Clearance required before recruitment and salary payments could commence.
He explained that Financial Clearance serves as confirmation that all fiscal and regulatory requirements have been satisfied before personnel expenditure can begin. The Budget Office, he said, could not issue the clearance because the 2026 Appropriation Bill had not yet received presidential assent at the time of the initial budget preparation.
Even after the budget became law on March 31, 2026, another requirement remained outstanding, as the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission had yet to certify that the proposed staffing and remuneration structure complied with approved public service guidelines. As a result, Yakubu said no recruitment exercise took place, no staff members were enrolled on the federal payroll and no salary payments were processed.
He further clarified that personnel appropriations are never released to agencies as lump-sum cash but are paid monthly into the bank accounts of verified government employees. According to him, because no employees were recruited and no payroll records were created, not a single kobo of the personnel allocation was legally accessed or spent.
The controversy surrounding the PFIPC became public on June 11, 2026, after the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, publicly declared the council non-existent and petitioned law enforcement agencies. Days later, the council’s self-acclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, rejected the Presidency’s position and alleged that Gbajabiamila received ₦400 million through an intermediary while demanding an additional ₦200 million to facilitate his appointment.
The Chief of Staff denied the allegations and instituted a ₦15 billion defamation suit against Adeniyi. The self-styled DG was subsequently arrested by the police over allegations connected to the PFIPC scandal and forgery. Before his arrest, Adeniyi claimed he personally approached Budget Office officials to facilitate the council’s inclusion in the federal budget.
The controversy deepened after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that it opened two domiciliary accounts linked to the PFIPC following directives from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF). The apex bank disclosed that the accounts—one denominated in United States dollars and the other in British pounds sterling—were never funded, operated or used for any financial transaction.
The Budget Office maintains that while the PFIPC budget allocation appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act following official documentation from relevant institutions, the absence of Financial Clearance ensured that no recruitment occurred and no public funds were disbursed under the personnel provision.
