PFIPC Scandal: Adeyemi Vows to Submit Documents to DSS, Police

The ongoing controversy surrounding the alleged non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) escalated yesterday, as its embattled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, declared his readiness to fully cooperate with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Adeyemi’s commitment is aimed at uncovering the truth behind how this 'ghost' agency reportedly secured a massive N1.3 billion allocation in the 2026 national budget.

This announcement from Adeyemi comes shortly after President Bola Tinubu issued a 30-day ultimatum to the ICPC to investigate the council, which the Presidency has consistently maintained is both non-existent and entirely fraudulent.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly displayed a clear division on the matter yesterday. The House of Representatives moved swiftly, establishing a high-powered ad hoc committee to trace the process by which the 'fictitious' agency managed to bypass established checks and secure N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act. In stark contrast, the Senate opted to block a similar attempt for a parallel legislative inquiry, choosing instead to await the findings of the executive-led anti-graft probe.

This development has ignited significant political debate, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) criticizing President Tinubu's directive to the ICPC. They argue that the Presidency cannot serve as 'judge and jury' in a major scandal where some of its senior officials are reportedly implicated.

**Adeyemi Pledges to Surrender All Documents**

Speaking from an undisclosed location during a revealing social media interview with internet personality VeryDarkMan, Adeyemi stated his willingness to hand over crucial official documents to security agencies to aid ongoing investigations. He expressed disbelief that an agency publicly disowned by the Presidency could somehow be integrated into the nation's legal framework for funding.

“I am willing and ready to help security agencies or any panel set up by Mr. President to unravel the truth. In fact, any moment from now, I will go to the DSS or the police to submit all the documents I have to help them investigate and look into this matter. They should authenticate them. They should verify them. They should unravel the truth,” Adeyemi asserted.

Defending himself against accusations of single-handedly inserting the budget line, Adeyemi unveiled a perplexing detail: “When the Presidency said the agency does not exist, I wondered how an agency that found its way into the national budget could suddenly be described as fake. I was in detention for 23 days during the period the budget was being prepared. I did not prepare or defend any budget, and nobody went to defend it on my behalf. That is why I am confused about how the agency found its way into the national budget.”

Regarding his earlier allegations against the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, the embattled 'D-G' commented: “I wouldn’t say he’s lying, and I wouldn’t say he’s telling the truth. That is why I requested that Mr. President set up an investigative panel to unravel the truth, so we will know those involved.”

Adeyemi also recounted an attack by gunmen near Zuma Rock in September 2025 and reiterated that his involvement with the council was driven by a genuine passion to attract foreign investment to Nigeria. “I don’t really have a negative plan. It’s all about passion for the country. That agency is to bring foreign investors to Nigeria and make Nigeria a preferred destination for investment,” he explained.

**Reps Investigate N1.3bn Budget Line, Cite Systemic Failure**

At the House of Representatives, lawmakers voiced profound concern over how an apparently non-existent council operated from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja for almost a year, interacted with foreign diplomatic missions, and successfully inserted a N1,302,978,000 allocation under budget code 0111062001.

Moving a motion of urgent public importance, Yusuf Gagdi warned that this breach exposed a severe vulnerability within Nigeria's appropriation system. “The entity allegedly relied on documents claiming to be an Act codified as Chapter N2117 of the Laws of the Federation, whereas no such legislation exists. The nearest existing law is the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC Act, which the purported council appeared to duplicate,” Gagdi elaborated.

To thoroughly investigate the circumstances of this alleged insertion, the House mandated its ad hoc committee to summon the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Director-General of the Budget Office within four weeks to account for verification failures. Furthermore, lawmakers instructed the committee to verify all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) listed in the 2025 and 2026 appropriation frameworks against their legal instruments of establishment, and to receive briefings from relevant security and anti-corruption agencies, without prejudicing any ongoing court cases.

The House also urged the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to prevent the release of funds or honouring of warrants for the disputed entity until the investigation concludes. Lawmakers resolved that going forward, the Budget Office must submit a comprehensive list of all MDAs proposed for funding with every Appropriation Bill, clearly indicating each agency's legal instrument of establishment, to prevent similar occurrences.

Supporting the motion, Ahmed Satomi, Chairman of the House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, described the situation as a grave threat to the integrity of Nigeria’s budgetary process. He found it alarming that an agency allegedly unknown to both the Presidency and the National Assembly could secure budgetary allocations. “This is a nationally important issue. We must investigate it thoroughly because it affects the sanctity of our budget process and the confidence Nigerians have in parliament,” Satomi stressed.

Adding a shocking revelation to the debate, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu admitted that his office had been misled by the group due to the high-level official clearance they presented. “The experience shows that a letter-head bearing the Presidency or an office in the Federal Secretariat is no longer sufficient proof that an organisation is legally established,” Kalu lamented. He recalled that the group had presented correspondence dated May 2, 2025, bearing the logos of both the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the PFIPC, complete with a valid government website.

**Senate Halts Independent Probe, Awaits ICPC Report**

In stark contrast to the House's decisive action, the Senate rejected an urgent attempt to launch its own investigation into the N1.3 billion budgetary scandal. Senator Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) invoked Order 9 and Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders to propose a substantive motion, calling for the Senate Committees on Ethics and Appropriations to question executive officers regarding the ghost budget line, which reportedly included over N800 million for personnel costs, N200 million for overheads, and N300 million for capital expenditure.

However, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, interrupted the motion, insisting that the National Assembly should allow the ICPC to complete its 30-day mandate. “As I said earlier, the Presidency has taken up this matter by...” Jibrin stated before cutting off the debate.