•Participated in 2026 budget process, got waiver for 314 positions, she says
•As Reps summon Finance, Justice ministers, accountant-general to appear Wednesday •CBN opened Dollar, Pounds Sterling accounts but not operational since inception •Gbajabiamila appears before ICPC, gives statement
Head of the Civil Service for the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, on Monday confirmed that the office occupied by the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC) in Phase 3 of Federal Secretariat, Abuja, is part of the office spaces allocated to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, via letter dated 16 November, 2023.
Mrs. Walson-Jack who disclosed this in Abuja after the inauguration of the ad hoc committee investigating the circumstances surrounding the existence and operations, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, also confirmed that the Council’s representative participated in the 2026 budget process as well got waiver for 314 positions.
She added that all information relating to the establishment, administration, supervision and operational oversight of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council falls within the jurisdiction of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as other relevant government institutions.
While noting that the approval and establishment of agencies is not within the purview of OHCSF, Mrs . Walson-Jack admitted that the Council in question submitted a request to the OHCSF for approval of its organisational structure on the 6th of August 2025 without providing the requisite documents.
According to her, the request, which was earlier declined due to non-submission of relevant documents, eventually got approval for a total workforce of 14 existing officers engaged by the Council and 300 additional positions were issued to the Council.
Mrs. Walson-Jack maintained that the records of the ODD further confirmed that the authorised establishment was collected on behalf of the Council by a certain gentleman who represented the PEAC/PFIPC.
She added that representatives of the Council participated in the 2025 Annual Manpower Budget Defense Exercise led by a lady who described herself as a Deputy Director of Administration, and appeared before officers of the Organization Design and Development Department during the organization’s bilateral manpower defence.
According to her, following the bilateral engagements with the Councils’ representatives during the 2025 Annual Manpower Project Defence Exercise, the request was reviewed by officers of the ODD and, in accordance with the office’s established administrative procedure, the fourth batch comprising 88 ministries, extra-ministerial departments and agencies, including the agency in question, was approved on the 18th of July 2025 by the Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office, who was overseeing the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation at that time.
She, however, maintained that “there was no deployment of officers by the OHCSF to the Council, because recruitment and placement of staff in agencies was under purview of her office.
Mrs. Walson-Jack added that remuneration and emoluments of personnel is under the purview of the national salaries income and wages commission while Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission is responsible for the remuneration of political appointees and chief executive officers.
According to her, Mrs. Patricia Akhigbe under whose supervision the Council got requisite approval has been released for questioning by the Nigeria Police as well as Jacob Oluwafemi David.
Mrs. Walson-Jack, who disclosed that the approval was done using physical file since the management system was down during the period when the Council was being registered, however, stressed that she personally discovered that all the documents relating to the Council were fake, although after the incident became public.
In his presentation, the CBN Governor, Mr. Yemi Cardoso, represented by the Director Banking Services, Mr. Hamisu Abdullahi,who disclosed that the apex bank opened two bank accounts for the fake Council, namely Dollar Account (Domiciliary) and Pound Sterling Account, respectively, however, noted that both accounts are not operational since inception.
According to him, the mandate to open the accounts for the Council was received on the 30th July, 2025 from office of Accountant-General for the Federation via a letter dated 29th July, 2025, after which normal verification was carried out.
He was, however, swift to note that the apex bank did not receive any response afterwards, adding that there was no inflow or outflow from both accounts from inception till date.
On his part, chairman, the ICPC chairman, Mr. Musa Aliyu, disclosed that the commission had commenced investigation and collecting documents as well as “interacting with officials that we feel they are necessary in order to help us to unravel this issue.”
To this end, he urged the ad hoc committee to give the commission “a time, maybe between today, tomorrow, and next tomorrow, so that we can come back and inform the House how far, what we did, so at least the House will be aware.”
Declaring the investigative hearing open, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability, and citizen participation.
Hon. Tajudeen, who was represented by the Majority Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, acknowledged that discussions surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council had dominated media reports, public commentary, and policy debates with regard to its legal status, institutional mandate, operational framework, relationship with existing agencies, and, importantly, its appearance within the Federal Budget Framework despite widespread uncertainty regarding its establishment.
“These questions deserve clear, factual and authoritative answers. The House of Representatives has therefore not constituted this Committee to validate speculation or amplify controversy. Neither is this a political exercise. Our objective is simply to establish the facts,” he said.
While noting that the investigation is not about any individual but the integrity of public administration, he urged the ad hoc committee to conduct its “proceedings with fairness and as much as possible protect the rights of every witness. Give every interested party an opportunity to be heard. Follow the evidence wherever it leads.” Let your conclusions be guided neither by public pressure nor political convenience, but by facts, the constitution, and the law.”
To this end, the ad hoc committee resolved to invitethe Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), ministers of Finance as well as Budget and National Planning, Minister of Justice/Attorney-General for the Federation, Accountant-General for the Federation, Director-General of Budget Office for the Federation, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and Chairman, Federal Character Commission, Chairman, Revenue Mobilisations Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), among others.
The investigative hearing is expected to continue on Tuesday by 10am with the appearance of Minister of Finance, Accountant General for the Federation, while directing the IGP to ensure the appearance of the two oHCSF staff to give insight into their roles in the scandal.
Gbajabiamila appears before ICPC, gives statement
Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday appeared at the headquarters of the ICPC in Abuja in connection with the controversies surrounding the PFIPC.
His counsel, Jiti Ogunye, disclosed in a statement that his client was at the anti-corruption commission’s office on invitation, and fully cooperated with the commission.
He said, “In full cooperation with the ICPC acting as directed by the President of Nigeria, I hereby confirm that my client, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, responded to the invitation of the ICPC and appeared at about 15:00hrs on Monday, July 20, 2026, as part of the ongoing investigation into the activities of the ‘PFIPC’ fake agency, among others.
“My client gave his testimony, responded to questions accordingly, and has returned to his duty post.”
A source at the ICPC also confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that Gbajabiamila arrived at the commission between 2 pm and 3pm yesterday.
“He (Gbajabiamila) was indeed at our (ICPC’s) office this afternoon. He came on his own without being invited. He arrived between 2 pm and 3 pm and met with investigators and volunteered information on the ‘fake’ council,” the source told the Nigerian Tribune.
ICPC spokesperson, John Okor Odey, also confirmed that the president’s Chief of Staff was at the commission on Monday, and that he went there on his own to state what he knew about the ‘fake’ PFIPC.
Controversies surrounding the ‘fake’ PFIPC emanated from allegations made against Gbajabiamila by the purported ‘director-general’ of the council, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.
Adeyemi had alleged that he paid N400million to the Chief of Staff through one Dolapo Tanimola, and that Gbajabiamila demanded 48 percent from the N27.4 billion take-off grant for the council.
According to Adeyemi, this request was rejected by him.
While saying that he never met the Chief of Staff one-to-one, Adeyemi alleged that he transacted “business” with him through the said Tanimola, who he claimed died in an Abuja hotel fire incident.
Gbajabiamila has consistently denied the allegations against him, saying that he neither authorised anyone to collect money on his behalf nor knew the said Tanimola or anything about the purported transactions.
The Chief of Staff only last week filed defamatory action against Adeyemi before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), demanding N15billion as damages.