By George Ozalla
The House of Representatives on Monday commenced a comprehensive investigation into the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), setting in motion a legislative probe to unravel how an agency without any known legal establishment found its way into the 2026 Appropriation Act with a budgetary allocation of about ₦1.3 billion.
The investigative hearing, held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, followed the inauguration of the 12-member Ad Hoc Committee by the Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who represented the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.
In his inaugural address, Prof. Ihonvbere described the assignment as one of immense national importance, saying the House was determined to safeguard the integrity of the country’s appropriation process and ensure that public institutions remained accountable to Nigerians.
He said the investigation was neither intended to witch-hunt anyone nor driven by political considerations, but to establish the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the controversial council, identify institutional lapses and recommend measures that would prevent a recurrence.
The House Leader urged members of the committee to discharge their assignment with fairness, diligence and professionalism, stressing that every individual and institution connected with the matter deserved a fair hearing.
Responding on behalf of the committee, its Chairman, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, assured Nigerians that the panel would carry out a painstaking, transparent and evidence-based investigation.
He said the committee would scrutinise every document, correspondence, approval and financial record relating to the controversial agency and ensure that every institution connected with the matter accounted for its role.
Following the inauguration, the committee commenced its investigative hearing with appearances by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) considered relevant to the inquiry.
Present before the committee were the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, as well as senior officials representing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Budget Office of the Federation, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and other government institutions connected with the budgetary and administrative processes under investigation.
The committee was informed that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, could not honour the invitation as he was attending an engagement with the Senate at the same time. A formal communication conveying his inability to attend was received and acknowledged by the committee.
It was also disclosed that both Ministers of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited for the hearing were outside the country on official assignments and were therefore unable to appear before the committee.
One of the highlights of the hearing was the appearance of Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who responded to questions on the role of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in relation to the controversial council.
She explained the level of interaction between her office and the agency during the 2026 budget process and tendered relevant documents requested by lawmakers, assuring the committee of her office’s full cooperation throughout the investigation.
Also appearing before the committee, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed that the ICPC had already commenced an extensive investigation into the activities of the controversial council in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
He informed lawmakers that the Commission was examining documents, appointments, financial records and other materials connected with the operations of the agency to determine whether criminal offences had been committed.
Dr. Aliyu requested additional time to conclude aspects of the investigation and submit a comprehensive report to the committee. The request was granted.
A major revelation emerged when officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria confirmed that the controversial council successfully opened official accounts with the apex bank.
The CBN, however, maintained that available records showed there had been no financial inflow or outflow on the accounts since they were opened.
The disclosure immediately drew further questions from members of the committee, who sought explanations on how an agency whose legal status remained under scrutiny was able to complete the process of opening official government accounts.
Although no transaction was recorded on the accounts, the committee directed the CBN to profile the personal bank accounts of individuals under investigation in connection with the alleged ghost agency.
The apex bank was further directed to furnish the committee with comprehensive reports of transactions conducted through the personal accounts of the affected persons to assist lawmakers in determining whether financial transactions connected with the controversial council may have been routed through private accounts instead of the official accounts opened in the name of the agency.
The committee also demanded additional records from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the Budget Office and other institutions involved in the preparation and implementation of the 2026 budget, insisting that every stage leading to the controversial allocation must be fully accounted for.
Lawmakers expressed concern that the emergence of the PFIPC had exposed serious gaps in the nation’s budgeting and public financial management system, warning that unless the loopholes were identified and addressed, similar occurrences could undermine public confidence in government institutions.
Reacting to the absence of some invited officials, Chairman of the committee, Hon. Gagdi, said while the panel acknowledged explanations offered by some institutions, it would not tolerate the absence of key officials at subsequent sittings.
He directed the Clerk of the Committee to issue fresh invitations where necessary and warned that every institution invited by the House must ensure adequate representation by officers competent enough to respond to issues under investigation.
Hon. Gagdi reiterated that the committee remained determined to uncover every link in the chain that led to the recognition of the controversial council, identify all those involved and recommend appropriate legislative and administrative actions.
The investigative hearing was subsequently adjourned to allow additional Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as other key government officials, to appear in person before the committee with relevant documents as the House continues its probe into the controversial ₦1.3 billion budgetary allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council.
